


In The Land I Am A Lion

by Ahhuya



Series: Erra [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Animal Death, Awkward Flirting, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Light Angst, M/M, Shiro is neither dead or alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 16:57:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15823116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahhuya/pseuds/Ahhuya
Summary: In the center of the woods, behind the gates, across the river,  black waits for a prayer at dawnBefore sun sets in golden glow, underneath her wings, a sacrifice is dueThe nunvil between the pinesAcross the river meat drinks in a dazzling whiteWhere the river breaks its normal route, a water pure is there to drinkBoiled on top eternal flames, its smoke calls down the goddessIn her yellow eyes, fighting in her grace, there her blessing will fall upon youThe Coming of Age ceremony is sacred to the Marmora. As they meet the holy lions, boys become men. Keith, youngest of his tribe, is the only one who has never been inside the forest. Through the warnings of danger he only finds himself being held back. That is until one night, Keith takes fate into his own hands with a Blade he has never seen before. But inside the forest of Lions, he doesn’t find a godess to bless him. Instead, he finds a guardian who is willing to help him and keep him company. In the darkness of the woods, Keith wonders if it’s just imagination and the shadows that make him see the man’s skin as black as the night sky.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, my piece for this year's Sheith BigBang. This was so much fun to write. Ever since I created this AU I wanted to do things with it, and the bang was the right oppurtunity to write the first part, aka the Shiro/Keith meeting.  
> I was paired with the amazing [BashnynArt](https://twitter.com/bashnynart) and I'll have her work added to the final chapter. Please check it out and support her as well! Also a lot of thanks to everyone in the discord and the mods. This event was a lot of fun to be part of.  
> The title of this fic is from the Erra Epic, which I also decided would be the name of the AU itself (it's a nice epic to read tbh)
> 
> Now about the AU, just to clear some things up before heading on to the story. There is some weird stuff going on with time in this thing. Any group living inside the goddess' blessing, can become hundreds of years old. Keith is around 20/21, and by far the youngest of his tribe (compared to Kolivan who is at least 400). Anything else will probably have to explain itself...
> 
> The AU also has a btw [(very incomplete and messy) playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ1N7muQnJG4CyakTtFtZmuk9_nnLdjS9)

Fire. Keith doesn’t know the first time he saw it, nor the last time he felt afraid of it. For as far as he remembers, he’s been surrounded by it, especially in his dreams. Perhaps when he was still a child, the heat trying to lick his skin made him wake up screaming. Only Thace could calm him down after that. By the time he was old enough to hunt on his own, he learned to keep his dreams for himself. As much as he wants to trust the rest of his clan, there are things he knows they can’t help him with.

He’s never alone in his dreams. Always, he finds himself being watched by gleaming yellow eyes. Soft paw prints in front of him light up the path he has to go: a path of fire he never dares to cross without feeling himself burn up. In the distance, a lion roars, calling for him. Sometimes, he sees her red fur illuminated in the flames. Other times, he wants to believe there’s two of them, waiting for the moment he can finally join them.

Lions are sacred animals in certain parts of the land. Especially around the widespread forests. Several clans settle near the tree edges, overseeing the dark mystery behind it, but never setting a foot deep inside. The outskirts are the only parts that are safe, but they don’t hold as many resources as the inner center. Yet, the center is off limits, a human can never set foot there. Never, until one special day of a person’s life. The coming of age ceremony is sacred to his clan, though Keith has never seen one for himself. He’s too young to have seen the last person come out of the woods with a sword in their hand, blessed by the lion spirit of the forest.

He isn’t sure who was the last one to undertake the ceremony. In some way, it doesn’t matter. They’re all official warriors, protectors of their tribe. Keith on the other hand, is just a child in their eyes. Though not for long if it’s up to him.

Kolivan doesn’t want him to go. “The forest doesn’t seem right” being the excuse he hears time after time. Keith doesn’t know how much of that is true. The trees are the same as they always have been: dark and dangerous. But that is exactly why he wants to know what’s in there. There are lions out there, waiting for him. No one has seen a lion in ages, not since the last ceremony and that has been at least eighty years ago. Keith wants to see a lion, see the spirit once in his life before he has to accept the duties that are laid out for him.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Keith sighs as he carries an amphora of water to the village. Thace walks next to him with two more amphorae,  nodding softly to a statement that has yet to be said, “Kolivan says he wants me to be a warrior, but he never lets me take the ceremony.”

“If Kolivan says the forest is too dangerous, it’s better to believe him. We would not want to lose you to the forest so early.” Thace sounds concerned and Keith can only nod silently. Surely the forest has its dangers, but Keith knows he’s prepared.

“He doesn’t even let me in to hunt for a good meal, and fishing is getting boring.” Keith sighs as he gives the river in the back on last glance. He can’t say that fishing isn’t worth it, the catch of a pike is good enough for the entire clan. But he wants more. He has shot a boar once, after it left the protection of the forest, but that’s all.

“Just wait, Keith.” Thace assures him. “One day you too will be blessed.”

And Keith wants to believe that. He wants to believe that Kolivan sees his abilities, but part of him knows that day won’t come for a long time.

**…**

He doesn’t have a blade of his own. He isn’t allowed to have one until it’s  time. So when he passes Kolivan’s tent and sees a glimmer of luxite through the opening, he feels his feet stop underneath him. The knife in Kolivan’s hands doesn’t belong to anyone in the clan, that much Keith is sure of. He has seen the dozens of blades that are passed around the village. The knife in Kolivan’s hands isn’t one of them.

He is called by Ulaz before he can approach Kolivan with any questions. Though with the amount of noise around the village, Kolivan will be quick to join them.

In the grass lays a stag. Before Keith sees the animal, he hears its labored breathing. Air is sucked in through gasps, wheezing in the presence of the Marmora tribe members. Ulaz is crouched down next to it, petting its fur while the animal struggles to stay alive. It is then that Keith sees what’s truly wrong. The animal’s throat is cut at the side, four deep scratches lying next to each other in a deathly pattern.

“What happened to it?” Keith asks as he approaches the animal. Its dark eyes try to follow him, but are unable to stay focused for long. “Did you hunt after it?”

Ulaz shakes his head, his fingers moving closer to the scratches, his face covered in concern. “It was wandering around the edges of the forest, before I could catch it, it ran to here and then fell down. I have no idea what did this to it.”

“A lion.” The group looks up to see Kolivan standing behind them, eyes filled with sorrow as the stag prepares to draw its final breath. “Those marks are without doubt from a big predator, and the lions are the only ones who could deal such blow.”

“But I thought-“ Ulaz starts.

“It seems we thought wrong.” Kolivan interrupts him. His gaze falls back to the stag and he sighs. “Release it from its suffering, there is nothing we can do.”

Ulaz nods and takes out his knife. It’s a quick end to a long time of suffering. And while the stag’s appearance leaves the clan with a feeling of dread, they eat some of the best meat in ages.

**…**

The inner section of the forest has always been off limits, but it isn’t until more animals with claw marks run out of the forest that the outskirts have also become forbidden territory.

In return, Keith finds himself near the river more often. Whatever is killing the bigger animals leaves the fish alone. They still fill the river, swimming in and out of the forest. They move around before him waiting to be caught and eaten, but Keith finds himself watching instead. They turn in circles, enchanting him. It isn’t until he hears his name being called that he snaps out of it.

“So this is where you were.” He looks around to see Thace standing behind him.

“What do you want?” Keith asks, although the answer is already surrounding him.

“Kolivan doesn’t want us to herd the sheep too close to the forest after the recent lion attacks. So I thought the river might be a better option.”

“A river right next to a forest?” Keith laughs.

“Kolivan’s eyes don’t reach here.”

That much is right. Kolivan keeps up the rules, but only for as far as he can see. One of the sheep walks closer and Keith lets his hand run through the unruly wool. It’s comforting, making him forget he came out to hunt.

Thace sits next to him, the flock out on its own as if danger doesn’t exist. Maybe the sense of safety is too strong close to the town, or maybe they have no idea what kind of danger is waiting for them.

“Kolivan is never letting me go, is he?” Keith mutters as his eyes follow the fish in front of him. They’re don’t stop their circling. They keep distracting him, waiting to get caught. And Keith is unable to let them go this time. A quick splash in the water and one of the fish is writhing in his hand.

“You must be patient. Just because you can’t go now, doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to be blessed.”

“It has been years already.” Keith grunts and throws the fish on the ground. “I know how to hunt, I can protect our village, but Kolivan just won’t let me.”

“And you are still young. These extra years will only give you more experience. You are skilled, but also reckless. Perhaps it is better that the forest has been closing itself off.”

“You _know_ this isn’t right. We shouldn’t be waiting out here while something is clearly going on in there!” Keith yells as he stands up from his rock and walks away into the herd of sheep. “We can’t just do nothing. If the lion truly blessed you all, she should talk to you about whatever is going on.”

Thace lowers his head, a sigh escaping him. “We must wait for Kolivan to tell us what to do. He has the closest connection to the woods, we need to have trust in his judgement.”

“If he ever acts to it.” Keith sighs. “I wouldn’t be surprised he’d shove it of as an inconvenience until our own sheep start falling dead one by one.”

One of the ewes bleats softly and Keith can’t help but to smile softly. “I just don’t want to be too late if we’re sitting right on top of something important, just because Kolivan is powerless.”  

There is a hand on his shoulder, firm in an attempt to be reassurance.  But instead of calming him, Keith feels his muscles tense under the grip.

“Nothing is going to happen, Keith.” Thace tells him. “We just need to give the forest time to readjust to what it’s dealing with.”

A shuddering breath leaves Keith. He doesn’t want to fish any longer. He returns to the clan together with Thace when the sun starts to set.

**…**

Nights seem to come slow every time. The day doesn’t end without someone finding another dead animal near the forest. Soon there isn’t a member that hasn’t found one for themselves. For Keith it was a fox, slashed open on the trunk of a broken tree, barely recognizable anymore. He can’t feel sad about it, not when it’s one of many cases.

Every time Keith sees Kolivan watch. He doesn’t make a move to step in, to investigate behind the animal corpses. Every night the central fire spreads the smell of death across the tents. Though some meat can be saved for the shared dinner, there is an unusual amount of leftover meat, bones, and fur that has no use for anyone. The only option is to burn what is left before rot and disease can take over.

His nights become restless, knowing that next day will bring new death, new corpses to join the piling ashes of the fire. He wants to say he doesn’t care, that every new death doesn’t influence him. But it does.

He prefers to have his sleep be dreamless, waking up a day later, knowing what is coming for him. But dreams will always come for him, never leaving him alone.It’s haunting, but Keith learns to accept it without waking Regris, who he shares his tent with.  Surrounded by the smell of burned flesh, dreams of fire are the only thing that await him.

__

_\---_

_Red eyes are staring at him, waiting for him and, as always, Keith follows them. For once he isn’t eaten by flames, but the heat is licking at his heels, forcing him to move forward. He can’t look back, knowing that if he does the heat will take him over. He can only follow the eyes, the burned prints in the grass. He knows these fields, the grasslands between his village and the forest. He’s glad he can’t turn back. He doesn’t want to see how everything he knows is turning to ash. And thus he walks._

_He has never seen the inside of the forest, but the moment he sets foot between the trees, something changes. The heat becomes more intense and his walking turns into running, fleeing from whatever is chasing him._

_Eyes are watching him, waiting for him. The more he runs, the more he realizes he doesn’t know where he is. Trees stand closer to each other, sunlight no longer finds its way through the leaves. He can hear the river somewhere in the distance, isn’t sure if he already crossed it somehow or not. He’s too focused on what he thinks leads out the path in front of him. Burning paw marks walk before him, lighting up when he steps closer._

_Suddenly, he realizes he isn’t chasing eyes and paw marks anymore. His path is laid out for him by a set of shackles. Three sets of soft blue glowing shackles tell him where to go, want him to follow. Following is the only thing he can do. With the heat chasing him, the darkness engulfing him, he has no other way to go than forward. The chains can’t go on forever, one moment he’ll find the end. Whatever is bound is waiting for him._

_He doesn’t find himself getting far. As the trees close in on him, the fire has him trapped. An animal roars at him and in the distance he can see a set of sharp claws reach out to him. The movement seems inviting for second, before a loud roar drags him back to reality._

_Fangs bite at him, fire burns his limbs. Somewhere a voice is calling out to him. Through the lion’s roars the shadow of a man calls out to him, but it’s lost in the dark woods._


	2. Chapter 2

Regris doesn’t ask questions that morning. Keith is glad. After the first nightmare of the night, he refuses to fall asleep again. The image of fangs comes back to his mind every time he closes his eyes. He hates it, but he knows it won’t be the last time it happens. 

He is sure the elders of the tribe - Thace, Ulaz, Antok and especially Kolivan - can see something is wrong. Yet they decide not to comment on it. They have learned to let people live with their own problems. As long as the bigger mission isn’t suffering from it, there is no need to deal with one’s feelings. The bigger mission isn’t much to begin with. Keep the gods content, take care of the surrounding nature. Whatever happens in between is a problem none think about. 

He looks terrible, fatigue dragging him down throughout the day. He has found a way to ignore it, to go on until he collapses when night comes around. It works for most of the time. He herds the sheep, goes out to fish, deals with the new dead animals and calls it a day. At night he sees the lions again, never getting the answers he’s searching for.

He has taught himself to keep everything bottled up, not letting others worry about it. He does so until he just can’t keep it in anymore. It’s after yet another terrible night that he finds himself standing in front of Kolivan’s tent. He can see the shadow of the man behind the closed curtains and takes a deep breath as he pulls the fabric away.

“Kolivan,” he says hesitantly, “can we talk?”

The man looks over his shoulder and gives a short nod. Keith takes a step inside, but doesn’t go any further than the entrance. 

“You look exhausted.” Kolivan notes.

“I haven’t had the best sleep lately. It’s what I wanted to talk with you about.” 

Kolivan nods as a sign for Keith to continue talking. Then he turns deeper into the tent, breaking eye contact as he wait for Keith to tell his story.

“I think the goddess is talking to me.” Keith  starts, “A lion has been calling out for help in my dreams, I think we have to go in there and see what she wants.”

“There would be no need for the lion goddess to call out to someone like you for help.” Kolivan states. He doesn’t look at Keith, his mind too occupied by the objects in his tent.

“Then have you seen it?” Kolivan stays quiet in response to Keith’s question. Of course, Keith thinks, he never admits his own mistakes. 

“The goddess won’t show herself to people like us. She only lets us live of her land, for which we should be grateful.”

“I  _ am  _ grateful.” Keith argues, “But if she’s asking us for help, shouldn’t we give it to her as a sign of gratitude?”

“If she needs it, she’ll ask her actual warriors. There is no need for her to call out to someone as young as you.”

“Then what about the animals? Do you think they’re just dying because they feel like it?”

“This is enough.” Kolivan knows how to kill a conversation. There isn’t much needed for that to begin with. His yellow eyes pry through Keith’s skin. He has nothing to say without the lion’s blessing on his side. A blessing Kolivan is keeping from him. Keith balls his fists in frustration, gritting his teeth in an attempt to calm himself. 

There is no need to stay with his leader any longer. He isn’t welcome, answers hidden until he’s officially part of his tribe. He turns around to leave the tent before Kolivan calls out to him.

“Whatever you are trying to do,” Kolivan says, his voice deeper and more serious than before. Keith can feel his eyes burn in his back, hesitant to look back and face his tribe’s leader, “don’t do it. It was like that that we lost your mother.”

That is the final argument Keith needs. His mother only comes up when Kolivan is out of other options. And Keith is more than done with it. There was no doubt that his father had died when he was still a baby, that he has never seen his mother’s face after she abandoned him, but none of that matters in a talk about their own tribe. Everyone knows the story about his mother anyways: a reckless action of going inside the forest and never returning, only leaving a child and a note behind at the edge of the sacred center. Her name is never spoken of, and Keith has already accepted a long time ago that the only parents he has are his clan elders.   

Without saying another word, Keith closes the curtain behind him, leaving Kolivan to himself inside the tent. He ignores Thace calling out to him, doesn’t pay attention when Ulaz asks him a question. Instead he sits down with Ilun, cleaning the fish they’ll have for dinner. He doesn’t look at Kolivan when he sits in front him that evening. The fish is tasteless that day, that it is his own catch doesn’t matter anymore. 

He dreams again that night, and the night after. Every time he walks through the forest, the same path, the same flames. Every time he finds himself before a set of pillars leading into a deeper part of the woods, before the flames swallow him whole. 

He barely sleeps anymore. The dreams wake him up before the moon starts to set again. The first few nights, Regris gives him a concerned eye when he shoots up from underneath his sheets. Now, the older male sleeps while Keith tries to even out his breathing. Keith is glad, at least he tells himself so every time again. If it were Ulaz or Thace he shared his tent with, he’d be in trouble from the first day the dreams started to get worse. Instead he has Regris. Regris, who on a normal day is alert and ready to take risks. Regris who at night can’t be bothered too long when Keith steps outside to check on the herds instead. Even asleep, the sheep are good company to his racing thoughts. The calmness in their resting figure, the way they can’t judge him, it’s all he needs on those nights. Until he hears footsteps of the person actually on night guard and he heads back inside to stare at the dark canvas instead. It keeps repeating. During the day, he finds himself fishing or herding for as long as his eyes can stay open. At night, he finds himself knocked out until the haunting nightmares return to keep him awake until it’s time to head out again.

\---

_ He is walking down the trail again, fire licking his heels, shackles laying out the path in front of him. Though the light of the flames is surrounding him, the heat isn’t there. Instead the flames feel cold. Off. The usual roars of the lion don’t sound. He is left on his own, wandering through trees he has already seen before.  _

_ He gets further through the woods this time, crossing the water and accepting the strong darkness. A soft rumble sounds in front of him. A lion. It’s a call of home. A call Keith can only follow.  _

_ He is surprised when he actually find the lion. The animal doesn’t move, makes no effort to attack him again. He can see its silhouette this time. The rumbling turns into breathing, soft, labored. Wings are spread out across the ground that toss up leaves with every breath it takes. Its yellow eyes pierce through the darkness. The lion is hurt, waiting for help. It’s help Keith can’t give. The shackles he has been chasing for so long have tied themselves to his limbs. Two on his feet, one on his left arm. His right is left free, but with the rest unable to move, he can’t go forward.  _

_ The lion watches him. It waits patiently for help it can’t receive. It doesn’t move , but he can hear its voice echo through the trees. _

_ “Find him.” _

_ Keith wants to. He tries to reach out one more time as the image of the lion fades away in the darkness. _

_ “Save him.” _

_ He never gets the time to ask who needs to be saved from what. _

He sits up the moment he wakes. Cold sweat runs down his back as his eyes adjust to the darkness of his tent. The soft walls and Regris’ breathing are grounding, a confirmation that he isn’t stuck in the forest on his own. The feeling of unease is worse than other nights, the warning in his dream too fresh to ignore anymore. He sprints to the side of his tent and pulls out a small piece of parchment, writing a simple message on it with charcoal.

_ ‘I’m sorry, I have to know –Keith’ _

He lays the note down on top of his mattress. It isn’t a lot, but he trusts his fellow Marmora to understand its meaning. In a hurry he grabs the purple cloak and mask laying at the end of his bed. Signs of a hunter, given to him by Thace last year despite not being officially worth of them yet. The eyes on the mask look at him and without a second thought, he puts it on and lets his features go up in the darkness of the rainy night. 

The sound of his footsteps splashes in the forming puddles in the wet grass. The mud starts to cover his toes through his sandals, he’ll wash it off later when he’s far away. 

The biggest problem is still Kolivan. Despite having the warrior’s mask, the blade he knows belongs to him is still in their leader’s possession. He sneaks around the other tents before he reaches Kolivan’s. The tent is dark from the outside. It takes a bit of hesitation before Keith moves the curtain away. If Kolivan is inside, he’ll need an excuse for sneaking around, especially considering the rest of his attire. 

But when he takes a quick look inside, he realizes the tent is empty. Kolivan is on night guard then, walking around the sheep for the moment. It’s a blessing and Keith slips inside the tent before anyone can see him.

It is a quick action in theory, enter the tent, grab the knife and be gone. In theory things always sound easier than they are in practice. Kolivan’s tent is too organized. His bed is located in the middle, the side of the tent filled with stacks of boxes holding objects that never see the daylight.  

He takes slow steps around the boxes, careful not to knock anything over. He doesn’t pay attention to most of it, knowing that the majority doesn’t hold what he’s looking for.

It takes a few minutes before he locates the familiar object. The box that contains the knife is located on one of the stacks on the side. It’s a simple, wooden box, too plain for a knife of such quality. The hilt is covered in old bandages, covering the Marmora’s symbol Keith knows is waiting underneath. The small weapon can easily be tugged under his belt and he takes it without thinking. On a table a scroll catches his eye. The small roll of parchment is sealed close, but he is sure he has seen it before. 

There is no time to decide if he can take it, because there is a rustling outside of the tent and Kolivan’s silhouette can be seen through the fabric. As a small voice in the back of his head tells him the scroll is important, he snatches it with him.  

He is out of the tent before Kolivan can see him. Maybe his sogging footsteps catch the leader’s attention, but he takes the risk. He’s not turning back to his own tent anyways. 

With his cloak and mask covering his body, Keith runs into the night. A number of sheep, sleeping in the fields, give him a bleating greet as they wake up. His are feet wet, the run through the grass to the edge of the woods seems to take ages. But once he’s there, the darkness takes him in like he’s home. 


	3. Chapter 3

He doesn’t remember falling asleep that night. Yet when he opens his eyes, it’s sunlight that greets him through the branches. For a moment he has to remind himself where he is, his own breath sticking against him within his mask. His knife presses against his leg, the parchment of the scroll brushing against his fingers. 

The first thing he notices, is that he’s hungry. Which at the same time shows him where his plan has started to fall apart on itself. The hunting cloak, mask and knife are great and all, but they can’t make up for the food and water still left behind in the village, forgotten by his rushed thinking. 

He sighs as he stands up, dirt settling between his fingers. He’ll find a stream to wash it off later, along with the rest of the mud covering his body. The forest, as if it’s playing with his hunger, looks dead. The trees seem not to move, there is no sound of animals moving from place to place. 

He kicks the ground, accidentally hitting the scroll that was still laying there. 

“What’s up with you anyways?” Keith asks, aloud for no one to hear. 

He picks up the scroll, dusts it off and starts taking the seal off. It breaks open with ease and rolls out in his hands. As his eyes read over the words, it becomes clear why it found its way to him. 

===================

_ [Rite of Passage] _

_ In the center of the woods, behind the gates, across the river,  black waits for a prayer at dawn _

_ Before sun sets in golden glow, underneath her wings, a sacrifice is due _

_ The nunvil between the pines _

_ Across the river meat drinks in a dazzling white _

_ Where the river breaks its normal route, a water pure is there to drink _

_ Boiled on top eternal flames, its smoke calls the goddess _

_ In her yellow eyes fighting in her grace, there her blessing will fall upon you _

_ ================= _

He reads through it a few times. There is the entire description of the ritual, written out entirely in front of him. Let it be in a riddle, in the end it’s still everything he needs to know. Which also means it can tell him where to go. 

The best way to go is to find the river somehow. His stomach growls. Maybe food is a better way to start. He sighs as he tucks the scroll away again and takes out his knife. He knows how to hunt, this shouldn’t be a problem.

He knows how to hunt, but not inside a forest. The movement in the trees is quick and unseen to his eyes. He only has the knife with him, no bow and arrow to shoot in the trees. He looks at the knife. The metal lays heavy in his hand. He’s not used to it, but the weight shifts easily across his palm. It takes only a few minutes before he finds himself able to use it. It’s not like the knives back in his tent, makeshift weapons of sharp stone. Metal is too precious for him to use, the blades being the only metal objects in the village. Even then all knives together would be more than enough resources for anyone, if the luxite could be used for anything else than knives. The metal was given to them by the gods, sent from the heavens to be blessed by its givers. Keith sighs as he stares at his own reflection in the metal. The eyes of his mask are staring back at him, a reflection of a person he has yet to become. 

He knows how to hunt, but doesn’t use the skill. Instead of animals, he finds plants. Bright berries he remembers from Ulaz, along with dark brown vegetables sticking out from the ground. They don’t taste like anything but dirt, but they’re edible. Enough to still his hunger for now.

With that he focuses on his mission again. There is no path for him to follow, yet something tells him where to go. A certain energy leads him through the trees and bushes. Every step is coordinated, leading him to where he wants to go. 

Slowly his steps bring him to a set of pillars: high, brown, stone pillars between the plants. With difficulty he can see the top, both pillars decorated with a lion up high. At eyeheight, there is an inscription, barely readable through time. Keith lets his fingers remove overgrown vines, tracing the words underneath. The weathered inscription is cold under his hand, the only words that can be figured out being ‘lion’ and ‘holy’. He looks up at the lion paws above him. The gate isn’t what he expected it to be, but the barrier separating his homeland and the holy centre is strong. 

He stands in front of the pillars before finally setting foot behind it. The leaves crack the same way under his feet, the trees are illuminated in a same soft orange that only slightly comes through the branches. It doesn’t look different, but he isn’t used to the feeling. The air is lighter, the sounds softer the further he walks. Any movement in the trees is silent, only noticeable by the moving leaves. 

He finds the river a while later. The flow of water is the only sound in the silence. The river runs slowly between the trees, its banks bright green with moss and grass. The stream is shallow, water cold at his ankles as Keith wades through. The water is clear, showing the stones and mud on the bottom. He misses the fish, how they used to circle around him when he would sit above them. He doesn’t want to admit he longs for their presence. Not when he’s so close to growing up. He takes the moment to drink, let the cold liquid slide down his throat. After the short rest he walks on, the cold feeling against his legs leaving him within seconds when it’s replaced by the forest’s warmth again.

He walks, taking short breaks in between. The silence is killing, his footsteps his only companions. He doesn’t see any animals, the plants don’t move when he sits between them. The ground is cold and dry, the rain from last night seems to have never existed. The earlier sunlight is no longer around.  The trees overhead grow more together with every step and soon he can only see a green sky whenever he looks up. 

He doesn’t know where he’s going, letting his feet show the way. He just lets the energy guide him deeper, further away from his family, from the sun. Time doesn’t seem to exist as he can’t track the sun. He doesn’t need to know time to be sure that he’s been walking forever. For all he cares, he could take another step and walk straight back to the Marmora. With how long he’s been walking, the fire in his legs, it almost sounds nice. Lay back in his tent and sleep. 

He doesn’t stop, doesn’t see the sight of home when the dense forest starts to open up. When he moves one of the lower branches away, clearing his view, it feels like he’s back in his dream again. There is a set of stairs waiting for him. Giant steps going up a platform in the middle of an open spot. He takes every step with hesitation, afraid of what’s waiting for him. Up there, the lion is supposed to wait for him, her temple present in all her glory. His muddy sandals only stain her white marble, the plants growing on the side of the building being perfect in every way possible. Anything dedicated to her shines with sublimity.

With the last step, he’s back in his dreams. He stares into the eyes of a lion, but instead of it moving to devour him in its yellow eyes, the creature is made of stone. The statue is located in the middle of an open colonnade. Keith’s fingers trace over the grey stone, solid despite the flowing forms in the lion’s body. On its back, two wings reach to the skies. The feathers stand out with every detail carved into it. It almost seems impossible to be carved by human hands. Not when the animal seems to be able to jump at him any moment, eat him like she has done so many times before. 

He lets his hand brush over her nose for a moment before he finally decides to look around the place better. He has found himself in a clearing. For the first time, he can see the sky and he is met by a number of stars. They’re constellations he doesn’t recognize, as if the forest is inside a universe of its own. 

A little away from the statue, a building waits for him. Although he can only see a long hallway, there is no doubt it is the lion goddess’ temple. The top of the building is decorated with smaller lion statues and underneath the overgrowing plants that have found their way up, he can see signs of reliefs. The structure calls for him to get inside and with no other place to go, Keith can only answer its call. 

As he gets closer, the carvings on the wall become clearer and Keith can’t help but to trace them. Though he has never seen the images before, the tale seems too familiar to him. Five lions come down from the sky to a group of people. Where there feet touch the ground, plants start to grow and life comes up. The people that stand underneath the lions worship the creatures, offerings being depicted right next to them. It is a list of the tribes, Keith realizes. The symbol of the Marmora stands out, the people holding their blades out to their gods. He doesn’t recognize the other ones, Altea, Daibazal, Olkarion, Balmera… all tribes living of the gifts of the forest. The carvings glow a soft blue under his touch, the walls humming low. 

Then the rest of the carvings start to become unreadable. Parts have crumbled down, others damaged by an unknown source. By the time Keith can make out parts of the drawings again, he feels lost within the story. The lions are nowhere to be seen. Instead there is the temple with one man standing in the middle. It is a lonely drawing, representing nothing but sadness. The inscriptions are unreadable, any signs too worn down to be traced back to their original form. The only thing showing that the temple is still alive is the blue glow that has traveled down the rest of the hall. The light travels further across the floor where it ends in an altar. The moment it touches the metal of the fire bowl that stands on the altar, a flame jumps on. 

Keith walks to the fire, the hole in the ceiling catching his attention as the smoke moves up. The dark sky from earlier seems to clear up, a red glow filling the earlier dark blue sky. 

The dawn of the lion’s prayer, Keith realizes as he pulls his knife out of his belt and crouches down before the fire. He drop his hood, takes off his mask and lays it besides him on the ground. He lays the knife in the palm of his hands and holds it out before the flames. 

“Lion goddess,” He starts, his voice barely more than a soft whisper, “hear my prayer. I have come to you to learn about my people, to be worthy in your eyes and get your blessing for my tribe. I will go through your trials and keep your name high. I will be back with my sacrifice, but stand by me in the meantime.”

He lowers his head as he takes the moment for the goddess to hear him. Her answer comes almost immediately.

“What are you doing here?”  


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment, Keith thinks his prayer actually summoned the lion. But when he hears a low, male voice calling out to him, he is sure to immediately switches his grip on the knife, turn around and be prepared to attack at any moment. Behind him stands one man. In the soft light of dawn that is coming through the ceiling, he can see the features of a fur cape clearly. 

“Who are you?” He growls, his fingers tightening around the hilt of the knife. 

The man slows down, waits and takes another step. As the light finally reaches the figure completely, Keith finds himself taking in his full appearance. His hair is long, thrown back and hanging over his shoulders. Strands of white show through the black mass. Across his nose runs a long scar, which, as Keith watches the rest of his body, most likely isn’t the only scar covering the man’s body. Underneath the black fur that is draped across his shoulders, Keith notices a set of bandages running along the man’s arms. Or arm, as the right one is no more than a wrapped up stump. 

“You shouldn’t be here. The forest is dangerous around these parts.” The man says as he comes closer, but Keith only glares. 

“I’ve been told that a lot before and nothing has happened so far. I need to finish what I came here for. So that leaves me to my first question.  _ Who  _ are you?”

The man sighs and takes another, but this time slower, step. “My name is Shiro. I’m-” he takes a deep breath and lets his eyes drift across the walls, “You could say I’m the guardian of this place.”

Keith raises an eyebrow and lowers his knife. “Guardian? No one ever told me about that.”

“No one has come here since I’ve been around. So what is it that takes you here?”

Keith shrugs, “A ceremony.” He says as if it doesn’t matter. 

“A ceremony that makes you go into the deepest part of a dark mysterious forest? You need to give me more to work with here.”

“Fine,” Keith crosses his arms, “It’s a ceremony to get the lion’s blessing.”

Shiro blinks. “A blessing?” 

“Yeah. It’s an old tradition in my tribe. You go into the forest as a boy and come out as a man.”

“So you’re a child then?” Shiro smiles. The smile is meant to be teasing Keith guesses, but the tone of his voice only makes Keith sigh.

“I might be the youngest by almost a hundred years, but I’m not a child. I can hunt and fight for myself. I deserve to undergo this trial despite what everyone says.”

“Stubborn.” Shiro nods to himself. “I’m guessing your tribe doesn’t approve of this then?”

“And?” Keith looks up, “I’ll return with a blessed blade and the knowledge I need. They’ll be proud of me if anything.”

“And what is your plan for that?” Shiro takes a step closer.

“I need to get this done before the golden sunset. Any idea when that is?” Keith asks. He sees the man blink before slowly an answer comes. 

“The golden sunset? That…” He tries to find his words back. “That is in a few days, you won’t be able to get all this done before that.”

Keith grins. “I’m going to prove myself before my tribe. I will get that blessing.”

“I’m guessing you won’t leave me alone until you get what you want. So what’s your name, knife boy?” Shiro asks and Keith smirks. 

“It’s Keith.”

**…**

Shiro is a mystery, who, despite pointing out how time is short to complete the ritual, takes things slowly and with care. He is warm and welcoming even if there is nothing to be welcomed into. The central temple has nothing significant to offer and Shiro apparently has no place of his own that Keith can take short residence in. There is only the carvings in the wall and the fire to keep them company. 

It is the early morning and with no time to waste before the golden sunset, Keith is aching to move out and start his trials.  The scroll lays in his lap underneath the fire. 

“What are you reading?” Keith looks up to see Shiro hovering over his shoulder. 

“Instructions.” Keith replies. 

“Somehow you seemed more like a ‘trial-and-error’ guy. What kind of instructions are they?” Shiro asks as he moves next to Keith and sits down. 

“For the ceremony. I’ll have to figure out where I have to go if time is so limited here.” 

“Let me see.” Shiro says, moving his hand over to Keith’s in an attempt to grab the scroll. It is only a short moment, but he can feel Shiro’s hand brushing against his. It’s soft, perhaps too soft, but in that short moment, Keith doesn’t care. 

“Here.” He says and places the scroll partially in Shiro’s lap instead. “It warns about the golden sunset,” his finger traces the words, “and then starts to talk about this ‘nunvil between the pines’. So I guess that’s the first place to go.” 

“The nunvil?” Shiro asks. “Should have seen that coming.” There is a laugh, soft but clear. “If you find it, don’t try it yourself. That stuff is disgusting. Something only a god would like.”

“So you know where to find it?” 

Shiro nods. “You should find the pines if you travel down here, slightly in the direction of the river.” He points down the end of the temple, directly at the lion statue waiting before it. “It’s pretty hard to miss, there aren’t a lot of pines here.”

“Thanks.” Keith stands up and tucks the scroll under his belt. With his hood wrapped around him, his mask and knife in his hand, he walks towards the sea of trees. 

“Keith, wait!” Shiro calls out to him, but he goes unheard. Keith is gone before he can go after him. 

**...**

‘Hard to miss’ is easily said. In the shadow of the trees, Keith can barely recognize the different types of vegetation as he tries his best to figure out a path. His sense of direction is thrown off every time a root cracks under his feet. He has no idea if he’s on the right track, if he’s not walking straight out of the forest to end up in front of Kolivan again. 

He shakes his head and leans against one of the stronger oaks. He’ll get lost no matter what. He realizes it’s a miracle he found the temple in the first place. Now that he’s back in the woods, the energy that seemed to guide him before just seems to no longer exist. 

The best idea he has, is to check out the top of the forest. Climb into the top of the trees and spot the pines from there. The oak doesn’t seem to care at the weight Keith’s puts on its branches. The climb is relatively easy, easier than walking to an unknown goal. The view he gets in return however, doesn’t make that same effort worth it. The tree is high for sure, but outside of its leaves, Keith doesn’t see much more than a sea of green without a clear distinction. Any pine tree he is supposed to find, he isn’t going to see. 

When he’s down on the ground again, he misses Shiro. The only person with an idea where he’s supposed to go, is probably still sitting in front of the temple, laughing to himself about how stupid Keith was to run away on his own. Clearly Kolivan didn’t want him to pass his first test anyways, or he’d given him at least some way of finding his way around the dark woods when he was still with his tribe. 

Defeated, he continues the imaginary path down the forest. In the back of his mind he feels the temple waiting for him and knows that at least he hasn’t started to walk in a circle yet. So he goes on.

He’s alone, as he’s been the moment he passed the gates. No animals, no sound, not even Shiro, just the vegetation and hot air sticking to his skin. It’s just him and nature, like it should be. He moves without letting it bother him. It was supposed to be like this.

In the end something is wrong. There is a shadow behind the trunks, hidden in darkness. A large animal probably, but as clear as Keith can see it moving around, it doesn’t make a single sound. Instead, it just watches him, waits for him to make a move. Yellow eyes pierce through the darkness, a soft rumble enters his mind. A lion’s growl. 

That is when Keith decides to run after the shadow.

For a moment it feels like he’s dreaming again, that he’ll run until he’s sitting up in his tent and has to watch Regris ignore him. But it doesn’t feel like a dream, the ground giving out underneath him too real to be an illusion. He’s chasing the lion as long as it’s in front of him. The beast walks slowly, clearly wanting to be followed. Every time a branch falls down from the trees, hindering Keith to walk further for a while, it waits. He nearly twists his ankle in a rash jump, hissing in pain as he pulls his leg out of a hole he hadn’t seen before. The lion waits for him then. It takes a few steps closer when Keith is getting closer to freeing his leg. Its energy is overflowing, a warmth radiating from the shadows. The purring eases Keith’s mind, the eyes telling him everything will be fine. The lion waits for as long as it takes for Keith to move again. Despite it waiting for him, it doesn’t guide him any further. When Keith reaches out to find support from the animal, it disappears into thin air, leaving only a track of paw prints behind. 

“Great.” Keith sighs as he crouches down to touch the tracks. They’re radiating the same heat as the shadow did, an almost familiar warmth. 

He has no other way to go. The tracks are the only thing that give him a path to follow. The worst they can do is bring him face to face with an angry predator, but that fight almost sounds better than getting lost in the woods further. So he walks, following paws like he used to in his dreams.

**…**

In the end, the tracks run dead. The paws are unreadable, scattered around the place before they suddenly disappear. Disappear straight into an object.

He looks up to find his face in the paws of a lion. It’s made of stone, just like the ones in the temple. One paw is up, a shield underneath it.  Its eyes gaze into the distance, guarding the fields behind it. It almost gives off the sense of safety.

“Keith,” He looks up, expecting anything but Shiro standing next to the statue. “I tried telling you not to run off like that. I’m glad you didn’t get lost on the way.”

“Shiro,” Keith breathes, “how did you get here?”

“Being a guardian lets you know where to find stuff around this place.”  Shiro laughs and knocks his hand against the lion. “And these guys will help you find what you need.”

“What are these anyways?” Keith asks, like that’s more important than how Shiro caught up to him so quickly and since when he had been standing next to him. 

“You’ll find these statues all over the forest.” Shiro says as moves to the front of statue and pets the lion’s paw on the pedestal.. “They’ll tell you you’re in the right place for your trial. Sacred areas and everything.” 

“It’s pretty.” Keith shrugs. Though large and intimidating, the statue doesn’t scare him, not in the same way the one before the temple had. 

“The nunvil should be in this area if Green is standing here.” 

“Green?” 

“The lion,” Shiro points out, “they’re all pretty much color coded. Green, Yellow, Blue, Red and Black.” 

“You really had nothing better to do as a guardian, did you?” Keith rolls his eyes. There is a soft laugh next to him. 

“It would make sense if you could see the actual lions.”  

“I’m sure it would, but I’m guessing I’m not worth the eyes of a deity?”

“Oh I’m sure you are. They’re just not able to show up.” Shiro smiles, hand ruffling through the white locks of hair. The both stare at the lion for a moment. Perhaps in some time, it does show up. Maybe just a shadow, telling him he’s right.


	5. Chapter 5

Like both of them already expected, the lion doesn’t show up. The stone eyes look at Keith when he walks past, almost tracking him when he follows after Shiro. 

The trees clear out, leaving more room between the trunks every time. It is then that Keith notices the flowers. Bright pink petals with white stripes greet him. 

“Juniberries.” Shiro says as he walks through the field. “They used to grow on the outskirts of the forest at first, but after travellers brought the seeds with them to here, the flowers never stopped blooming.”

“Only here?” Keith asks as he follows.

“You might find them all around the centre.” Shiro says, crouching down and picking one of the flowers. “But they prefer to grow close to the nunvil.” 

He hold the flower out to Keith, who takes it with a hint of hesitation. Its petals already start to fall apart when his fingers touch the stem. 

“I don’t think they were ever meant to grow in forests. They need sunlight.” Shiro says as he watches the flower fall apart in Keith’s hand. 

“Yet they continue to stay here.” Keith mumbles as he drops the flower, it now fully crumbling in the field. 

“They’re stubborn.” Shiro smiles. “Must be thing that comes with beauty.”

“Sure.” Keith snorts as he continues walking. “We’re not here for pretty flowers though. Where is that nunvil.”

Shiro looks at him before continuing his way. They pass more juniberries before the pink flowers are slowly replaced by grass and light purple flowers. The petals are smaller than the juniberries, but the stems and stamen are higher, towering over the purple field. There is a sweet scent in the air, and Keith is almost glad that there aren’t any animals, knowing the field would be swarming with bugs otherwise.

“Welcome to the nunvil fields.” Shiro says. He walks through the flowers and lets his hand run against the stamens. As he removes his hand, Keith can see a purple liquid clinging to his fingers. It is then that Shiro licks the nectar of his hands and takes a soft breath. 

“It doesn’t taste as bad as I remember it to be. It’s actually good.” Shiro hums.

Keith frowns. He isn’t sure what it is that tells him it would be a good idea, but then again, ever since he left his tribe good ideas have been far from his mind. He hesitantly moves his fingers to the flower and lets small drops of the nectar settle against his hand. It smells wrong, but he trusts Shiro for the moment. 

Which, he finds out, was a bad decision. The moment the substance reaches his tongue, he feels himself freeze up. It is too much, stimulating his mouth so much in the way that it makes him want to keel over and drink down the entire river in an attempt to wash the taste out of his mouth. 

“Okay, maybe my taste buds got used to it after all this time.” Shiro laughs as his hand finding its place on Keith’s shoulder in a way to ground the boy back into reality. 

“I don’t think anyone’s taste buds can get used to this.” Keith manages to say through his frozen posture. He takes a deep breath, the stiff air of the forest doing few to calm his mouth down. 

“Mine did.”

“Remind me to never trust you again after this.” Keith grunts through a smile. 

“Let’s say you adapt pretty quick in my situation.” 

“That of being the guardian of the most important god? You should get enough offerings to not eat this stuff.”

“Those offerings aren’t for me.” Shiro corrects him. “The nunvil wouldn’t even make a good meal. But its taste is one that keeps the lion happy.”

“So now I shouldn’t trust the lion’s life decisions either?”

“She’s a goddess, Keith.” Shiro smiles, “We can never understand her decisions. We can only live with them.”

“I know.” Keith sighs as he takes out his knife. “I’ve never done anything else.” He crouches down between the flowers and swipes his knife across the field. In a quick movement, the plants fall down on the ground, cut at the stem. 

“Now that we have Nunvil we should just head back.” Keith picks up the fallen plants, careful to keep the blossoms faced up, making sure the nectar doesn’t drip out in any way. 

“I take it you’re not a fan of pine trees?” Shiro asks. “I thought most people would want to stay here a bit longer. It’s peaceful here.”

“They’re just trees, plus, like you said we don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Right,” Shiro nods, “we don’t have time.” 

Keith doesn’t pay much attention to the disappointment on his face. Instead, he’s more focused on  _ how  _ he’s supposed to find his way back. The lion prints aren’t set in the ground anymore and a certain darkness creeps in that tells him it’s probably later than he originally thought. The energy that led back to the temple at first seems to have shifted, surrounding  _ him  _ instead of the far away building.

“I really hope you know the way back.” Keith turns to Shiro again. The man laughs at the sight, though Keith is certain it’s only  epicaricacy. 

“Don’t worry.” Shiro says and steps forward into the sea of trees again. “I have no idea how you even got here and don’t remember the way back.”

“It’s a gift.” Keith grins as he follows. “Plus, I was doing my best not get killed by this forest.”

He thinks there’s a smile back, but he isn’t sure in the darkness of the woods. This time, the new silence is created by themselves. It’s not that Keith doesn’t want to talk, but Shiro walks fast throughout the tricky woods and he can only try to keep up. He knows Shiro isn’t evading any conversation either, the trees growing too close to each other to allow them to walk next to each other. 

By the time they’re back at the temple, Keith is overwhelmed with exhaustion. He places the cut nunvil next to the lion’s altar and returns outside to find Shiro handing a bowl to him. The wooden bowl is filled with a green substance, bouncing slightly with every movement.

“It’s not nunvil, is it?” Keit asks, but at the same time, he doesn’t care. He sits down against the statue of the black lion and watches the food bounce in his hands.

“Don’t worry.” Shiro smiles. “It’s some leftover goo I found from earlier priests. It never expires, but it doesn’t have much of a taste either.” 

“That’s fine.” Keith assures him. He’s too tired to probably taste anything to begin with. Even if he did have to eat nunvil again, it doesn’t seem like a problem.

With the first bite he takes, he guesses Shiro’s right. Through his own exhaustion he can feel the bland texture across his tongue. But it’s food, and that’s enough for Keith. 

When he’s done eating he yawns and leans his head back against the statue.

“Do you have any place to sleep?” He asks, looking at Shiro who shakes his head.

“Anywhere here is fine to sleep. The lions don’t mind.” He tell him and Keith takes that as enough of an answer to stand up and walk back inside the temple. 

He doesn’t walk in far, settling underneath the first lion reliefs in the hall where any draft can’t reach him. He lays down on the hard stone and puts his cloak over him. The moment he closes his eyes, he enters a dreamless sleep.

**...**

He doesn’t expect to wake before morning, but he does. He can’t tell what it is that drags him from his deep slumber, the need to fall asleep again still present. He doesn’t try to go back to sleep, however. Clearly something wants him to be awake.

“Shiro?” Keith blinks in the dark. He’s sure he saw the man walk around, the deeper darkness outside more asking for everyone to be asleep than to walk around. Well, sleep is far from being found when Keith finds his curiosity piqued. He throws off the cloak he used as a blanket and steps out in the cooler night again. The square before the temple is empty, Shiro nowhere to be found. Nowhere, except for the shadow between the trees. 

“Shiro, wait up!” Keith calls out, fully awake now. He darts down the stairs, into the forest to chase the shadow. He isn’t chasing an animal, he assures himself. He knows what an animal looks like and Shiro is far from that. Even with a furred back, it’s easy to see the human features underneath. The strong arm that reaches out to the trees as he walks. The hand that holds the bark, the claws that leave their marks behind in the hard wood. The trees he passes all have five claws set into it. Maybe they were already there. That the marks are only on the left trees is a pure coincidence. Shiro doesn’t have claws after all.

He doesn’t stop following. The path of destruction becomes bigger the deeper he goes. Claw marks make room for broken branches. Branches turn into snapped trees. And eventually, the snapped trees disappear to leave only an open space with nothing but thrown around heaps of dirt.

In the middle of it all, he sees the dark fur of Shiro’s back, the man standing up and looking at the sky. There is nothing to be seen in the overgrowing leaves, but maybe it’s the only way Shiro can hide the tears rolling down his face. In the shadows of the surrounding trees, Shiro seems as black as the ground. The only light is a soft blue radiating from Shiro’s legs and arm. 

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.” Shiro sobs through his hidden tears. 

Keith wants to step out there, call his name, embrace him, tell him that whatever it is he can’t do, he can be there for him after the ceremony and ease the burden. But he can’t, because the moment he sets a foot on the broken ground, Shiro’s head turns around. Yellow eyes pierce through his soul, blinding him, before he finds himself alone in the darkness again. 

He wakes up inside the temple, underneath the broken reliefs. He blinks a few times into the morning sun coming through the end of the hallway. At least he guesses it’s morning, even if he hasn’t been able to see the night sky before. The night itself however continues to haunt Keith’s thoughts. He’s used to the bad dreams, feeling too real on their own, but not like this. He never starts in the place he fell asleep in, never walked through the woods without fire or chasing lions. And he never saw Shiro in them. 


	6. Chapter 6

He doesn’t know when he fell asleep again, back into a dreamless sleep of nothingness. When he wakes, the temple is still empty, but the light surrounding it is high enough to know that he's slept  _ too  _ long. He stands up, stretches and walk out the building.

It isn't hard to find Shiro. The man sits outside the temple, against the lion statue as he looks over the trees.

"Good morning." Keith says as he leans against the lion.

"Morning." Shiro greets. "Want some breakfast?" He points at a number of fruits and vegetables on the ground.

"Yeah, alright." Keith says as he sits down. The food isn't much, but it's enough. Better than having to go out on his own to hunt or try the bland goo again. He’ll deal with that later again, if Shiro manages to find more of it. He has no idea where the food of the last night came from, but there is no time to question it. He doesn’t have to. 

"Did you sleep well?" Shiro asks.

Keith nods. "Weird dream, but nothing too special compared to what I'd get back home."

"What kind of dream?" Shiro frowns, looking at him, face mostly hidden by the fur across his shoulders. He looks tired, like he hasn't slept in days. The early sun highlights the dark circles under his eyes.

"It's nothing really." Keith tries to give a reassuring smile.  _ I dreamed about you _ . He won't admit that, he never will. "I don't remember most of it anyways."

Shiro nods at that and decides to leave it. Keith's glad. It's still too early to think about dreams, especially ones that he doesn't want to see. So instead, Keith eats in peace as he lets the fruit juice drip down his chin. Its taste is rich, unlike anything found with the Marmora. He’s glad he starts his day like this, instead of the bland goo. He’s actually full when all food has disappeared.

"Are you ready for today?" Shiro asks when Keith's done eating. He hasn't had a single piece of fruit himself. Keith wonders if he already ate before he woke up. "The deer hunt may take a while."

"It's just hunting." Keith shrugs. "I've done it before."

"Have you also hunted holy deer before?"

"I don't think the gods would ever forgive me for that." Would they even forgive him for killing one now? Even if the ritual asked him to, wasn't it wrong to kill a holy animal?

"Don't worry." Shiro says, as if he read Keith's thoughts. "You only need to kill one deer. Nothing more. The gods allow that much."

Keith nods. Of course they would. He sighs and shakes his head before standing up. "Let's go. You know where to find those deer, don't you?"

"If we're lucky, they'll be near the river."

"Perfect." Keith smiles as he clutches his knife. "Then let's hunt."

**...**

For how tired Shiro looks, the man has a lot more energy than Keith expects. He's far in front of him, jumps over weak roots as if they never exist. Like they don't exist until Keith almost falls over them. Still, it's better than the first time, when he walked to the pines on his own. Shiro guides him through the trees, following energy lines Keith barely notices himself. Nature is beautiful and so is Shiro when he's one with it. Keith smiles in the back, watching the black fur in front of him like it's the best thing he's ever seen. Maybe it is. He's a guiding light between the trees, but in black. A guiding darkness that shows him his future.

He doesn't know how much time has passed when he starts to hear the flow of water in the distance. They're close. They have to be. 

Shiro stands still against a tree. When Keith joins next to him, the sight of the river waits in front of them.  The water still flows softly between the grass. 

As they wade through the water, a smile appears on Keith’s face. At the other bank, he can see a familiar pink growing above the grass. 

“You were right.” Keith smiles as he picks one of the flowers and hands it over the Shiro. “Juniberries do grow everywhere.”

Slowly Shiro takes the flowers and curls his fingers around it. The pink glow stays strong in his hold. He watches the flower before he faces Keith again. 

“The deer should be around here.” He says after he’s collected himself. It’s almost adorable, Keith thinks, how one little flower can bring a man down. 

He doesn’t need Shiro to tell him they’re close. He can feel it calling out to him. For once Keith is the one leading the way through the trees. They’re spread thin across the way, giving Keith more room to look at his surroundings. It’s then that he sees them.

Between the trees there is a light, moving further away from him. It feels guiding, but it’s not like the lion he has watched before. It calls out to him for sure, but the light doesn’t beg him to follow. The fact that he does follow it is his own judgement.  

_ Across the river meat drinks in a dazzling white _

He’s walking to his goal, a whole group of it. Five white stags and ten doe, following behind each other to where the river has stopped its turmoil. They shine in the sunlight passing through the overhanging leaves. 

The next step Keith takes lets the animals look up at his direction. Too much sound, too obvious he’s out there for them. He ducks behind the nearest bush and waits until the heads go down to the water again before he releases the breath he’d been holding. 

Shiro crouches down next to him, smiling. “We’re lucky they’re here.” He says as he looks over the bush to the animals. “Lately they’ve had the habit to stay away from the open places for a longer time.”

“Well, they’re beautiful. It almost feels bad to kill them.” 

Shiro laughs. “I never understood this part of the challenge either.” He looks at the stone lion in the distance. “Yellow is supposed to be the kindest and yet she’s the only one asking for a kill.” 

Keith nods into nothing as pulls his cloak over his head and takes out his mask. His hand rest on the knife in his belt. 

“I’ll go in, jump on a stag, take it out and prove my worth to the lion.” Keith mumbles mindlessly. The blade twirls through his fingers.

Shiro shakes his head as Keith covers his face. “The goddess only asks for a deer, not a deer killed in the most extreme way you can think of. Or a stag on top of that. Patience yields focus, especially in this case. Don’t rush into this.”

Keith looks back at him, his full appearance hidden underneath his clothes. “Don’t worry, Shiro.” He says. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. Just stay here and wait for me.” 

Shiro blinks, but Keith’s confidence is still overflowing when eyes open again. And then he’s gone, darting into the bushes to watch and observe. And Shiro lets him, leaning back against the trees to fade away like he isn’t there.

The bushes to Keith are a sense of safety. Surrounded by the plants, feeling his own breath falling back against his skin, he knows what he’s doing. The deer stay close the river, drinking and eating. The doe are off limits, surrounded by the stags, who themselves are too big to attack without a plan. 

Now, Keith would be lying if the plan of “climbing on its back, slit its throat and walk back with a giant victory” didn’t seem amazing. On its own it would be great, but seeing the situation in front of him, it’s clear things aren’t that easy. 

The plan itself can work, quickly and cool, leaving enough impression to get the blessing for sure. The only problem would be the other deer and their reaction to a hunter. At best the other deer run away when he jumps out of the bushes, leaving him alone with one stag to fight. Which would provide enough trouble on its own already. If somehow he’s dealing with a protective group, he’s dead. 

He shakes his head as he moves closer, his movement unnoticed by the animals. One deep breath, he doesn’t have time to worry about decisions or try to come up with a better plan. By the time he has an actual idea of what he’s doing, the deer will be long gone and his blessing will be lost. 

He jumps out of the bushes and lets his feet land next to the stag. It’s only for less than a second. As the animals notice the body of a hunter in their group, Keith makes his way to a smaller stag. He jumps on the animal’s back and sets his feet in its side. The animal tries to throw him off as the others run away to safety. They’re not a protective group, for once luck is on his side. 

With one hand, Keith grabs the stag’s horns while the other moves the knife closer. It’s a quick move, one deep stab into the deer’s neck. The movement to drag the blade through its skin to make one deep gash takes more effort. There’s blood on his hands, blood streaming down on the ground in a rapid flow. The animal’s legs give out and Keith jumps off before the animal falls to its side and draws its last, labored breath. 

The silence that follows is what actually kills him. The deer was the only sound in a long and now that was gone again. 

He doesn’t hear the rustling of bushes when Shiro comes over. He doesn’t notice he’s there until he can feel his hand on his shoulder. 

“I didn’t think you’d actually do that.” Shiro says as he shakes his head softly.

Keith shrugs. “I had to think fast, it seemed the best option.”

“At least it died quickly.” Shiro sits down at the stag and pets its head. Keith crouches next to him, running his bloody hand through the fur, staining it with red.  

“Still,” Keith sighs as he watches the now red fur under his hand, “it must have hurt to die like that.”

“It’s the way of life. In the end, there’s always a bigger predator out there.”

“Who is yours?” Keith asks. “Is it the Black Lion?”

Shiro laughs. It’s only short lived before his eyes fixate on the deer again. “Probably. Though,” he gives the deer one last look before he takes a deep breath and stands up, “my predator might still be lurking outside the woods.”

Keith nods softly. There’s a lot outside he doesn’t know anything about.  Even if Shiro might not know it either, the man might still be able to feel it better. He’s more connected to nature, a connection Keith can only try to establish a little. 

The conversation dies, as it does every time Keith makes a comment about the gods. He lifts the stag up and pulls it over his shoulder. For a moment it seems like he’s drowning underneath the white meat and fur, but after a few hesitant steps, he stands solid. His black hair pops out under the white, a grin across his face.

“How about we head back?”

Shiro gulps, blinks and then softly nods. “Yeah,” he stammers, “let’s go.”

The entire way back, he doesn’t stop looking at [Keith’s arms keeping the animal up, carrying it through the woods. 


	7. Chapter 7

The walk back to the temple seems longer than Keith remembered it to be. The weight of the stag is heavy on his shoulders, the ground underneath him tricky, and Shiro… Shiro is no help at all. The man walks besides him, smiling bright at the sight of the dead deer. Though Keith has to admit that any help Shiro does offer him, he dismisses. 

“The temple is still far away,” sounds Shiro’s offer for help again. It’s been too many times already and Keith isn’t sure if there is even a meaning to it anymore, “I can carry it for at least an hour. Give your shoulders some rest.”

“I’m fine,” Keith assures him for the umpteenth time. “it’s my trial, I should be the one bringing it to the lion.”

“And as the guardian of this entire thing, I can assure you killing the animal and sacrificing it is all you have to do. You’re not going to be able to do the rest if your shoulders lock up.”

“They won’t.” Keith assures him, repositioning the stag’s legs so the animal’s weight shifts on his back. 

“If you say so.” Shiro laughs, but there is some concern in his eyes. 

By the time Keith gets himself to lift the stag of his shoulders, it’s night again. The steps leading up to the temple are treacherous. The wide steps are hard to take in one go, especially with the weight of an animal on his back. Shiro continues to offer a helping hand, a hand Keith slaps away every time. He can do it on his own. It’s not like Shiro can take the stag from him with only one arm to begin with. 

He drags the animal to the altar and lays it down there. The soft blue light from the walls shed a light on the dried blood. 

“And now?” Keith asks as he gives the deer another look. “I still need to do two tasks and who knows how fast the meat will rot in this weather.”

“It won’t rot.” Shiro says as he steps towards the altar. He picks up the cut Nunvil and moves his hand through the leaves. “Nunvil withers in a few hours after it’s been cut. But the flowers are still in full bloom even now.” 

Keith looks at the plants as well. The purple flowers seem to be even brighter than they were the day before, the nectar still dripping out as if it was never cut to begin with.

“Within this sanctuary, nothing will be destroyed. You have all time to complete this.”

“Except for the golden sunset.”

“That is surely one of the things stopping you here.” 

“So I guess we better move again.”

“We?” Shiro asks, looking up from the plants. “I thought it was  _ your  _ special task.”

“Scripture says nothing about going alone, does it?” Keith shrugs with a grin on his face.

Shiro sighs softly and shakes his head before he returns a smile. “I guess it does not.”

“Then let’s go already.” Keith says. “How long until the sunset is here?”

“Three days? Maybe less.” Shiro looks up to the sky as if it tells him the answer. “We don’t have to go right now. We can rest before moving out.”

Keith shrugs, a motion that makes him realize how tired his shoulders are. “Maybe rest isn’t that bad.” He agrees. 

“We should probably move outside, I can show you a place to wash off that blood first.” Shiro says, pointing at Keith. He doesn’t need to look down to know that he’s covered in red. “It’s a beautiful night, I want to see the stars better tonight.”

“Don’t you want a roof above your head?” Keith eyes, but Shiro shakes his head.

“It’s not going to rain. The temple is only a confined space, I like being outside more.” 

Keith nods. The temple is nice for sure, but he can’t help but to agree that there is something with it that makes him feel uneasy. 

“Outside it is.” He agrees. He gives the stag one last look and walks outside into the cold night air. 

**…**

Sihro leads him to a small pond at the back of the temple where he can wash himself, and leaves him alone there. The water is enclosed by a set of marble tiles, another set of marble greets him on the bottom of the pond. He washes his hands first. The dried blood leaves a red color across the pond and pools around the leaves that float on top of it. He then lowers his feet into the cold water, letting the mud add a new brown tint to the water. 

The water is nice along with the silence and the dark sky above him.  Yet the loneliness isn’t what he’s looking for at the edge of the pond. The moment he’s cleaned himself and he’s mostly dried himself off with his cloak, he heads back to the front of the building again. 

Along the way, he picks up a number of fallen branches, dry and good for a fire. He lays them down in front of Black’s statue, where Shiro has started to make a fire. The small pile of wood is already burning slightly and Keith sits down to let its heat dry the rest of his body.

Despite the usual warm air hanging in the forest, Keith feels shivers run down his spine. The cold water dries with ease, yet its temperature still clings to his bones.

“Here,” when Keith looks to the side. Shiro holds out the black fur that had been draped over his shoulders earlier. “It can get cold easily. I wouldn’t want you to get sick here.”

“I survived last night.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be cold for another night.” Shiro lays the fur on Keith’s shoulders. It’s still warm, a heat Keith wants to crawl deeper into. Before he realizes, he’s laying against Shiro’s side. It’s a welcome embrace and with the fatigue in his bones, he doesn’t care to step away from it.

Shiro looks up to the sky, a smile forming on his face in the light of the moon. 

“You know,” he starts, “I always find myself looking at the stars at these times. It calms me down.” 

“What do they tell you?” Keith asks, his eyes shifting to the stars for only a second before falling back on Shiro’s relaxed face. 

“I don’t know.” The man laughs, “After all this time, I still don’t understand these constellations.”

They are strange. Keith doesn’t need to look at the stars to know that. 

“Which ones do you understand?”  He asks. 

“The ones from the outside. I used to watch them every night.”

“You lived outside the forest?” Keith pushes himself of Shiro’s side, looking at him in shock. It almost feels unreal that a man like this would be living a life outside of his divine duties. 

“Does it seem that unlikely? I haven’t been in here for  _ that  _ long.” Shiro smiles, his eyes focusing stronger on the sky. “Some things just came up to have me stay here.” 

“Tell me about your village.” Keith says and for once his own gaze goes up as well as he leans back again. 

“It’s small, in the middle of an island created by the splitting branches of the central river. We live of fishing and trade with a number of colonies around the river banks. We never did much exploring before the last Oriande’s descend.” 

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Oriande’s descend?”

“You never saw it? It’s absolutely beautiful. The sky turns pink and purple and you can see a giant comet land in the forest.” Keith can see a sparkle in Shiro’s eyes, an excitement he hasn’t seen before. “We didn’t know about it before two travelers came to us. They told us about new technologies, this forest and the descend. We learned so much from them that when we saw the comet, we  left on our own expedition down the river. You can say the forest was where I stayed in the end.”

“Don’t you ever miss your village?” Perhaps it’s a question he shouldn’t be asking, overstepping boundaries he doesn’t have a permission to cross in the first place. The sigh he hears next to him prove his point.

“Of course I do, but I have a job here now. And what’s better than serve the goddess of an entire region. It’s an honor.” He repositions himself before the fire. “What about you? What is your village like?”

“Boring, if anything. Nothing really happens, especially if you’re not a warrior. I never did more than fishing and herding sheep.”  

“Doesn’t sound all that bad if I can say so.”

“It wasn’t.” Keith admits. It was pretty fun in the end. “I just didn’t like being left out anymore. No one ever tells you anything if you haven’t taken the full ceremony.”

“At least they’ll tell you eventually. Back where I’m from, you can be as high in the ranks as you want, but no one is going to let you in on their secrets if they don’t like you.”

“Assholes.” He doesn’t expect Shiro to laugh at that, but he can clearly hear that soft chuckle.

“Yeah, but even then… I miss them.”

“I miss my village too. But don’t worry, you’ll get to see them again eventually.” 

He doesn’t notice how Shiro’s smile falls with that.


	8. Chapter 8

It is morning when Keith opens his eyes again. The fire from the night before smolders lightly, its purpose fulfilled for another night. When he sits up, he realizes he hasn’t slept on the cold  ground. Instead, he’s wrapped in Shiro’s black fur. He sits up and looks around the colonnade before he decides he’s spent enough time doing nothing. 

With the fur draped across his shoulders, he walks around the temple grounds. There is the sound of a bird chirping somewhere deep. Things seem to be different with that sound. The forest seems alive, the atmosphere more breathable after the passing night. He realizes it’s a nice change for once as he listens to bird’s song. 

He sits there for a while before he notices the movement next to him. Without the fur, Shiro looks too naked. The clothes he wears are thin. He must be cold, Keith guesses, not having the extra warmth on his back. 

“Good morning.” Keith starts as he stands up. He hold the black fur out to Shiro. “Hope I didn’t keep you cold for too long.” He laughs as he watches Shiro slowly take the fur from him. 

“Don’t worry.” Shiro smiles back as he drapes the fur around his shoulders again. It takes a while with only one arm, but clearly he doesn’t want any help. Perhaps the gravity on Shiro’s shoulders is stronger than anywhere on the planet, but the black finds its spot again eventually. “Did you get any bad dreams again?” 

Keith shakes his head. He didn’t, it’s the first night in his life he hasn’t dreamed. There was only a comforting silence and darkness, nothing else to bother him in sleep. 

“That’s good.” Shiro says as he looks out over the woods. “Hey,” he turns to Keith, “I know you’re in a hurry to get the blessing and all, but do you have a few minutes to come inside with me?”

“Sure.” Keith wipes the sleep from his eyes as he walks after Shiro into the temple. They pass the hall and enter the larger room with the altar. Keith gives the deer a look as they walk around it to the back of the room. 

There are more lions there, Keith realizes when he sees the statues at the side of the walls. They’re all crumbled, only the claws of the beasts are clearly visible. Shiro leads him to the back of the middle lion, Black if Keith can make out the features correctly. There is a door there, along with stairs running down into the building. 

When Shiro walks down, so does Keith. The blue lighting from the walls grows stronger the deeper they go, until they're all the way on the bottom and the room is covered in light. 

“No one ever comes here.” Shiro says as his steps come to a halt. “They all think the altar is the holy spot of this temple, but it's actually located here, several meters underground.” He walks towards the only object in the otherwise empty room. It's a rock, dark black with blue lining. 

“From what I've been told, the comet came first. Its energy gave life to the gods who then gave life to the forest. This is what it's truly all about.”

There is a slim smile om Shiro's face, illuminated by the comet. Its energy buzzes in a low and steady hum. It calls to Keith, but he doesn't dare take another step closer. 

Instead, he walks to the wall where the comets energy shows the carvings. They're celebrations, people dancing around the arrival of the lions and the comet. 

“These are just like the ones in the entry hall.” Keith whispers, his hand tracing the figures. 

Shiro nods. “Except these are still intact, even if they don't give much information.”

“I still wonder what the rest of it says, the most important parts in the hallway are broken and unreadable.” Keith sighs as he rest his hand on one of the lion carvings. “Any idea what’s missing?”

“I couldn’t tell you even if I had seen them.” 

Keith gives him a confused look. A look Shiro answers by laughing.

“I can’t read this.” Shiro explains as he touches the Galran text underneath the lions.

“You’re serious?” Keith huffs. “You can’t read? I gave you my ritual’s instructions and you couldn’t even read them. I could have written out my pure devotion to you on there and you wouldn’t even know.”

Shiro blinks and as soon Keith realizes what he’s said, he waves the conversation away. 

“Nevermind that.” He sighs as he takes his time to face Shiro again. “You know,” he forces a smiles, “I could teach you Galran if you want.”

“I have no idea how you’ll do that with the minimum time we already have.” Shiro snorts.

“Maybe,” Keith shrugs “when we’re done here, I could come back for it.”

They won’t meet again. Keith has already guessed that much. After the golden sunset, he’ll be back with the Marmora and Shiro will be stuck in the forest where no one can reach him. Still, he gets a hesitant nod in return.

“Yeah.” Shiro breathes, the words leaving with difficulty as he tries to believe them himself, “That would be nice.”

They don’t talk much after that. They watch the comet and bathe in its energy, before they both realize that time is only short. They leave the comet behind in the temple as they prepare to head out for the day.

**…**

Keith has learned to trust Shiro’s sense of direction inside the forest. They come up with a simple plan to find the lake: track the river. Shiro is the only one who can get him to the river to begin with. They walk out from the back of the temple in the hope to find the water there. 

The walk leaves room for conversation at the times where their path isn’t too small or treacherous. It’s filled with useless topics: their favorite food, hobbies, old friends and so on. Keith learns Shiro enjoys food named pasta. He gets the promise that they’ll try it if they ever get the chance.  Keith promises the taste of a fresh Marmoran pike in return.

In the end, the meaningless topics run out and the next time the trees part a little, Keith lets his own curiosity take over.

“Can I ask?” Keith says as he points at Shiro’s arm, “What happened?”

Shiro stays silent as he looks down his arm. “It-” He takes a deep breath. “It was a medical procedure. The arm got infected, cutting it off was the only way for me to survive.”

“I’m sorry. It must have hurt a lot.”

“Don’t be. It was worse when that thing was still a part of me.” Shiro almost snaps at the words as he clutches his stump with his hand. His fingers dig into the bandages, tugging them loose in reaction. Keith can see the scarred flesh underneath, the dark patches of skin that pull together what's left of the arm. 

Before Keith realizes, he's standing at Shiro's side, catching the bandages in his hands. “You'll hurt yourself like this.” He says as he unwraps the bandages completely and takes Shiro's stump in his hand. The man flinches at the touch, but doesn't make an attempt to move away. “Just let me.” Keith takes the bandage and slowly starts wrapping it around the arm again. His hands brush over the scars, the scratches, old gashes, the bite marks, the burns... he takes in every inch of Shiro’s skin. It might as well be the last time Shiro lets him. 

“You've been through a lot.” Keith sighs as he finishes wrapping the stump. He lays a resting hand on Shiro's bicep where he attached the bandage. 

Shiro nods, but other than that stays silent. Keith sees how he tries to move his arm up to the stump again, but stops him with his own hand before he can reach it. 

“I know your entire existence is a mystery,” Keith sighs, “but I want you to know that whatever happened to you, it won't make me think different of you.”

Another nod. Then, a sigh. There's a new light in Shiro's eyes when he looks at Keith again. 

“Yeah,” he breathes and moves his hand so that it's on top of Keith's. “maybe things will finally change for the better.”

It's a hope Keith has as well. That this small moment of peace is all they need to overcome whatever is burdening them, whatever is hurting Shiro. 

“We should move.” Shiro smiles. “We still have a long walk left.”

Quickly, Keith lets go of his hand and arm and takes a step back. “Of course.”

He gives Shiro's stump one more look before he starts walking again. 

**…**

By the time they find the river, both of them have left the rest of the morning behind. The streaming water takes most of their worries along. It almost calls for Keith to walk in it, to step into the cold water as a refreshing break. Maybe it’s just the idea of rest that he wants, a second to rest his feet. He doesn’t want to call for a break, not when Shiro doesn’t seem to be tired. The ritual is Keith’s, so is the shortage of time. After all, Shiro can walk to the lake whenever he wants, at any time of the day. Keith can’t. He just walks across the banks, tracks back the water’s origin along the way. 

He’s glad he has Shiro with him. Eventually the river splits, but the distributary  almost goes unnoticed to Keith. It’s with a soft hand on his shoulder that Shiro stops Keith from falling into the ditch in front of him. 

“Perhaps it’s time we took a break.” Shiro smiles as he nods towards the water in front of them. “We’ve been walking for hours, you must be exhausted.”

Keith nods and finally lets his legs give out. He sits down at the edge of the ditch, letting his feet touch the water’s surface. 

“I’ll see if I can find some food.” Shiro says before he runs off again. Keith wants to follow behind him, but his legs protest, too attached to the rest they’re finally getting. He enjoys the coolness against his feet, letting the throbbing of his muscles calm down over time. 

His mind tracks back to Shiro, wondering when the man will return. A low fear comes up, that Shiro is headed back to the temple instead, leaving him on his own to find the lake. But he’s never left alone. Soon enough Shiro is there again, his hands filled with berries and tubers.

“It isn’t much,” He sighs as he he sits down next to Keith and dips his feet in the water. “but it’s the best I could find in the area.”

“It’s good enough.” Keith smiles as he takes the berries. “I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the trials.” He watches the water flow by, unclear by the fallen leaves.

“Time is going by fast, .” Shiro says as he looks up at the trees.  “It almost feels like we’re losing more days.”

“Should we keep going?” Keith asks with concern. He’s ready to get his feet out of the water, despite the protests his tired muscles give him.

Shiro shakes his head slowly. “Rest first.” There is a reassuring tone in his voice, one that lets Keith dip his toes under once more. “Whatever time we’re going to miss, I want to spend that which we have left together.”

So does Keith. He wants to forget about the trials, about the sunset chasing after him, about the village he’ll have to return to alone. He doesn’t mind sitting by the water with Shiro, but in the end, he can’t sit still. The break comes to an end eventually and they move on again. 

His steps are slow for the rest of the walk, as if his own body doesn’t want him to get the trials done either. He can feel fresh air touching his skin from underneath his hood. There is another clearing coming up and the only place that can give of such a calming sense has to be the lake Shiro told him about. 

He picks up his pace, not caring if there are any slippery rocks beneath his feet. Shiro follows right behind him, steps more solid and slower, but in an equal speed. The branches and ferns move out of his way: away to show him what he wants to see.

Which is everything he doesn’t want to find. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: so what do they do when they're at the river?  
> My brother: *takes my laptop and writes down 'they fuck'*  
> Me: I can't write that...


	9. Chapter 9

There is nothing in front of him. No lake, no water, only a deep hole stretching out for as far as he can see before the woods pick up again. The mud in and surrounding the hole is still wet, but there is no indication that a lake has actually been around. If there has ever been any wildlife living there, it has moved to the river or got eaten a long time ago. 

Shiro’s footsteps come to a halt right behind him, a gasp showing the same surprise. Though Shiro’s reaction might hold even more surprise, judging that the entire forest should be known by the man.

For a moment Keith wants to believe he’s in the wrong place, that he has made a wrong turn somewhere and found himself in a locked away part of the forest. But before he can even ask if he’s at the right place, he notices the stone in front of his feet. A carved lion’s head, overgrown by grass. Its eyes stare at him in a desperate plea he cannot answer. 

He finds the statue’s base a few meters away, missing the head, paws falling apart as he watches. The lion is already laying deep inside the rocks, as if it had been sleeping before something made sure it would never wake up again. It’s definitely the blue lake, or was. 

Keith climbs up the rocks base to get a better look at the broken lion. “What happened here?” He whispers, his hands trailing across the stone where once the lion’s head was positioned. The stone is smooth, almost too much of a clean cut to have fallen of naturally. But the statue is as sacred as the forest, it wouldn’t break if there was no reason to.

“How did it end up like this?” Shiro asks, maybe to Keith, maybe to himself. He’s crouched down at the head, stroking its nose as he removes the grass and moss of it. 

“Maybe the river got clogged somewhere, leaving the lake without new water.” Keith tries to provide an answer. It’s the best logic he has for it. Even if he has tracked the river the entire time, even if he knows that there is no way the water flow could be cut off somewhere, it is the only thing he can come up with. But he knows better than to go by logic by now, and Shiro knows that too. 

Shiro isn’t listening anymore, drawn into a trance as he lets himself slide down across the mud, into the empty pit of what used to be a holy lake. He takes a few steps, before he falls down on his knees and his hand run through the mud, looking for answers he can’t get. “It wasn’t supposed to spread this fast. It hasn’t been that long, has it? “

Keith descends the slope as well. Once he finds himself standing next to Shiro, he isn’t sure what to do. The man is lost, more lost than he has ever seen him. This isn’t the time he showed up out of nowhere, nor when he was left at the end of trail of lion tracks. Shiro had been himself back then, knowing what he was doing and what was supposed to be done afterwards. That wasn’t the case now. For the first time, Shiro is actually breaking down in front of him, clutching his stump with a muddy hand, leaving stains around the newly wound bandages. 

“Shiro,” Keith tries to say, “there are still puddles and there is still some water flowing in here as well. The lake isn’t totally gone. We can still move on with the ceremony.” Though he doesn’t care about the ritual anymore. 

“It won’t work.” Shiro’s voice is no more than a whisper. His hand returns to the mud again, tracing it one more time in the hope that everything is only a bad dream. “This place is no longer sacred. The entire forest is dead.”

“What are you talking about?” Keith takes another, hesitant step. 

“Keith, there are no gods here. They were all killed a long time ago.”

“The gods can’t be killed.”

“Anything can die. Even the gods. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” 

“Everyone keeps telling me it isn’t safe,” Keith is yelling now, he hates it, “but nothing has happened. We can still finish this.”

“There is no  ‘we’ Keith. There is only you, there always has been.” Shiro growls. His hand is twitching, nails digging in his palm. “You should go. It was a mistake to let you come here.”

“Shiro, I don’t understand.” 

“There is nothing to understand about it.” Shiro lashes out. Keith can see the black spreading across his hand, his nails highly resembling claws. But as quickly as Shiro’s anger comes up, it’s gone again. The man takes a deep breath and looks at Keith with sorrow eyes. “Please, I don’t want you to get caught up in this.”

“Just tell me what’s wrong.” Keith says, hesitating to give Shiro a supporting hand. “I can help.” Or he  _ wants  _ to help. He wants to stop seeing Shiro hurt like this, stop the black that is starting to cover more of his body as the man is howling into himself. 

“There is nothing you can do to change this. The best is for you to leave and never come back here. You should be able to continue your life outside of here.” 

Back with his tribe… as much as Shiro is telling him to go, he doesn’t want to. Even if the entire forest screams at him to leave, to turn around and never come back, every step is taken with hesitance.

“But what about you?” 

“My life stopped the moment I set foot in this forest.” The trees around the lake grow restless, sudden winds moving up without a warning.

“You should go, Keith.” Shiro looks at him one last time, an unfamiliar yellow burning behind his eyes. “It isn’t safe. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

The winds get too strong after and it’s obvious that there is no more talking. Instead the old mud starts to lick at his sandals again, telling him to go. The forest forces him to slowly walk away and leave Shiro alone again.

It is the hardest decision he makes in his life.

**…**

The walk back is strange, to say the least. Despite its hostile nature earlier, the woods have calmed down. It almost feels like they’re begging him not to go, to stay and never walk out. And despite how good it sounds, Keith knows he can’t turn back. There is a low growl back there that stops him from finding Shiro, if Shiro wants to be found at all.

So he faces the trees alone, tracks the river back to where he knows his family is waiting. Roots give out underneath him, branches break off, mud makes him slip into the cold water where stones wait to cut the bottom of his feet. It’s exhausting, but he’s on his own. No lions come to show him the way out. He already knows where he’s headed. 

The white deer don’t take the effort to show up at their grazing spot and the moment Keith steps out of the holy centre, he feels empty. 

Everything is too much. The sounds of animals walking around, the humidity of rain waiting to fall… It feels foreign. The light that finds its way through the branches is harsh on his eyes. Every step he takes is exhausting, but the ground is more stable under his feet as he walks out. 

For the first time in what seems to have been forever, he can feel the sun on his skin. Though the danger of tripping over unearthed roots is pretty much zero, his legs have more trouble supporting him than before. The grass against his shins feels unnatural. The grass is dry, unlike the last time he walked at this same spot. 

It doesn’t feel right. As much as the grasslands have been in his heart, the forest seems to call back to him. It’s begging him to turn around, step back into its closed world, far away from everyone else. Back to Shiro’s side at the temple. 

But his feet carry him forward. He isn’t sure how long he’s walking. The trees in the distance can’t tell him how much he’s progressed. Time feels different in the open. His legs continue to scream underneath him. 

In the distance is the first sound that seems familiar. The bleating of a sheep. Someone is close, herding the animals across the open space. 

Keith forces his legs to carry him further through the grass. It is his best way of reuniting with his family. It has only been a few days, but that can be enough to haunt them. 

Finally he can see the sheep appear in front of him. It almost feels like they recognize him as a group walks towards him, nuzzling his hand with their nose. The wool on their back is soft, but thicker than Keith remembers it to be the last time he herded them. He smiles at the greeting bleats, but knows he can’t stay around petting sheep too long. 

Finally, he sees a person he actually recognizes. Even with his back turned towards him, those two up standing sides of his hair are unmistakable.

“Thace” he breathes, as the man comes to his vision. But it is only for a second before the black spots start to take over.  

“Keith?” The voice is without doubt Thace’s. As muffled as it sounds to him, it is a voice he can’t forget.

“Keith!” And then it’s dark.


	10. Chapter 10

When he wakes up again, he isn’t sure which part of his life has been a dream. Opening his eyes to the soft brown fabric of a tent, the feeling of a bed underneath him, feels more surreal than walking through a forest for days in the hope to get blessed.

When he gets himself of the bed, falling straight into Ulaz arms, it only feels like he’s diving deeper into a dream. Being surrounded by the men that raised him, hands all over him asking if he’s okay… it doesn’t feel real. Marmora doesn’t feel real anymore.

“Where were you all this time?” Thace is the first to ask as he offers Keith a bowl of porridge. He doesn’t realize how hungry and exhausted he is until everything comes together.

“The forest.” Keith tells them when he finds his voice again.

“For six months?” Keith blinks. Six months? He wasn’t gone for _that_ long. A week at most, but no months. The forest may have been dark enough to be confused about when the sun was actually out shining, but he fell asleep only a few times, sitting with Shiro at the fire even less.

“I was in there for only a few days.” Keith tells him.

“Then what did you do in the other months? _Go out and explore?_ ” It’s Kolivan who accuses him.

“I never left the forest.” Keith reasons. “Didn’t you have the same timespan when you were taking the trial?”

All three men fall silent. Thace shakes his head, Ulaz looks down at his feet and Kolivan finishes with a sigh. “Those trials took two weeks at most, a few days if one was actually experienced.” Keith can feel the underlying argument ‘ _You weren’t ready to go out there yet, your time in finishing the trial took too long’_. Hell, he hasn’t even completed the trial. He is back at square one, perhaps without ever getting a blessing now that Shiro shut him out.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Keith sighs, “I didn’t pass the trial. I’ll just go back to fishing. Clearly I was never meant to be a warrior.”  

 

 

**...**

His spot near the river hasn’t changed. The fish still swim around in the same manner, mysteriously returning from a forest that never seemed to hold them. He lets his feet sinks into the cold water any time his mind wanders off upstream. His thoughts slowly settle back into the present again, trying to filter out the past he can’t reach anymore. It’s strange how, with more people surrounding him, he feels lonelier than before.

There is a sense of nostalgia when he sits at the bank of the river and Thace herds the sheep in the field behind him. They have been here before, many times, sharing their stories, their worries.

When the sun starts to set, the older man sits next to him in their long shared silence.

“Did you ever see the lake?” Keith asks, the water underneath him rippling. It’s a question that has been haunting him for a long time. The sight that’s burned in his mind, the image of Shiro chasing him out of that pool of mud.

“I think the sight of that lake is something I can never forget. The water was so clear, it almost felt like looking those fish were swimming in nothing.”

But there had been water, there had been life inside it. Not actual emptiness and pure mud like Keith had seen.

“Sounds great.” Keith shrugs, his gaze focusing back on the river in a try not to care. “Wish I could have seen it.”

“Keith,” Thace sighs and sits down next to him at the bank, “even if you had to step out halfway through, you made it out alive. We’re all just glad you came back.”

“Yeah.” Keith whispers as he watches the water flow. Life is back to normal, should be back to normal. But he knows nothing is the same. He’s missing things.

 

 

**...**

With returning to the Marmora, the dreams come back as well. However, it isn’t just the lions that greet him every night. In the low rumble of a roar he sometimes finds himself in a place he hasn’t seen before, a place by the river, far away from the forest.

He dreams of Shiro. At least, he thinks he does. The images grow disturbed in flames, unreadable in the darkness that always follows after him. The lions never leave either. He still tracks bloody paws in the mud, leading him to the temple before disappearing. It's worse now that he knows where it is, now that he knows exactly where the gods want him to be when he's unable to go there.

It isn’t just the dreams that come back to haunt him. Along with his own disappointment come the signs of the forest. Another dead stag falls in the middle of the village, torn apart at the side.

“I thought it had ended.” Ulaz sighs as he sits down next the animal. “We haven't seen this happen in months.”

“What do you think started it again?” Thace asks.

“I don't know.” Ulaz shakes his head and looks back at Keith who is standing in the back. The stare says enough on its own. There is an unproven suspicion.

They face death every day. The smell of burned flesh is one Keith never missed, especially not when the village is shrouded in it again.

 

 

**...**

“It is time we talked about your mother.” Kolivan says, words coming forced. It’s late and the village is already shrouded in darkness. Most Marmora are preparing to head off for the night. Keith sits in front of the central fire, cooking one of the deer that fell down dead earlier that day. He clings to the warmth like it’s the only thing that keeps him going.

“If this is your way of making sure I don’t do anything reckless, you can spare the effort. I’m not going anywhere.” Keith sighs. He doesn’t stop watching the fire, how the meat slowly colors brown inside of the flames.

“It’s not that.” Kolivan assures him. “We haven’t been honest with you about your mother.”

That gets Keith to look. “What do you mean?”

“She didn’t just leave. We sent her away to investigate the forest. She never got back, but she wrote us when she left you in our care.”

“How is that any different from what you always told me? She’s still gone.” Keith grunts.

“You should read this.” Kolivan says and opens his hands to show a folded piece of parchment.

Keith takes it and folds the parchment open. The handwriting is strong, but tidy. The ink has faded in certain parts, washed out through bad storing measures.

_ Dear Kolivan, _

_ I hope this letter, along with everything else reached you in good health. I am sorry I never wrote you back with reports of my mission like I promised you. A lot happened in the time I was away. I found our cousins of Daibazaal, but they are as bad as the stories made us believe. There are no traces of Altea around. It is almost as if it never existed. It seems the forest depends only on us now. I think Olkarion and Balmera have already started to forget about their gods. _

_ I know my mission was to stay with Daibazaal and give you information about them. I am now letting you know I was unable to do so. I travelled down the river and found a village that never heard of the forest or the lions. In some way, they are adorable, but time isn’t kind to them. They won’t live longer than a hundred years, I can’t tell them my age without looking like a monster.  _

_ Now I’m sure you will be mocking me for what I’ll say next, but seeing that I am leaving a child with you, I’m sure you already figured this out. I met a man there. His name is Kogane, a fisherman who brought me to his village after I accidentally attacked him. His people have secured their town well, but there is no way they’re able to protect themselves against what is coming next. Rumors spread fast. The princess of Altea is still alive and certainly looking for a place to watch Marmora’s Arrival. I have kept quiet about our home for years, but I don’t expect the Alteans to be as easygoing, considering they have been wandering for such a long time. If word comes out about our culture, I fear Terra will fall victim to curiosity. In return it will bring unknown dangers with it. We both know how eager Zarkon is in manipulating others to get back into the forest and how desperate he was to erase Altea.  _

_ You must be wondering why I gave you a child to care for. He is my son, Keith, and I hope he will be safe in your care. Surely Thace and Ulaz will be glad to help out, they always had a weakness towards children. Kogane agreed this is the best thing for us to do. The boy is intelligent and young, he will find his place with you. I will give him my knife and hope the lion protects him like she protected me. If Zarkon finds Terra or its people, I fear for his future.  _

_ I hope Marmora may fall on us again soon and that the skies will give us life another time. I wish I could have come to you in person and tell you this, but I must return to my husband. Time is only short together and when our story is over, I will try to come back to you and Keith. _

_ -Krolia  _

It feels too much to take in. The letter in front of him, his mother’s handwriting and name before his own eyes.

“We found you, the letter and the knife, twenty years ago. Although judging by her writing, the letter is much older than that.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Keith asks, his eyes switching from Kolivan to the letter and back.

“The knife you took with you was your mother’s.” Kolivan explains as points at the weapon still tucked under Keith’s belt. “It had already been blessed before. She wanted you to have it, but I don’t think the lions would bless it again. You deserve to know where you came from.”

“Why did you have it if my mother left it to me?” Keith murmurs. He takes out the blade and lets it run through his hands.

“We couldn’t leave a child with a weapon. I was about to give it to you the night you ran away. You wouldn’t have to take the trials to prove yourself. You already did that.”

“And I still got shut out by the gods.”

“But not by your tribe.” Kolivan assures him as he places his hand on top of Keith’s, covering the knife. “We know who you are and this is where you belong.”

Keith nods as his eyes return the fire again. The meat is almost done. The letter in his hand is crumbled in his hand, the knife grows restless. He has no blessing and yet he’s a part of his tribe. It doesn’t take away the feeling of something being wrong. If anything, it only feeds it.

 

 

**...**

After a bit more than a month, the atmosphere in the village changes. The air feels lighter. The animal carcasses are discarded without problem and, the hunt and herding are seen in a brighter light.

But there's also a new tension, mostly around the elders. Kolivan walks around the forest edges more often, Thace and Ulaz pull back into their tent most of the time. In the end Keith has no other option than to ask Antok about it, but the man’s answer of “The arrival is upon us” does nothing to still his curiosity. It’s Regris, young and naive Regris, who has the most answers.

The man beams when Keith returns  to their tent after a long day.

“Aren’t you excited?” He asks. “It’s your first time too.”

“First time of what?” Keith raises an eyebrow as he falls down on his bed.

“Marmora’s Arrival of course.” Regris says as he sits down next to Keith on the bed. “Nothing else can get the town this on edge. Not even the lion problem.”

“I don’t really care.” Keith sighs and turns to his stomach so he can bury his face in his pillow. Whatever Marmora can do, it’s nothing he wishes for. Regris leaves him alone after that, going outside to spend time with people that care more about the arrival than Keith ever could.

Yet he can’t evade the arrival forever. Days turn into weeks and the village only grows more on edge. None of the elders take care of the animals. They’re too focused on the stars, the sun, the clouds and overall, the forest itself. Thace disappears for a few days on a hike through the woods, returning with information Keith doesn’t pay attention to. It will only be one day, one event he can see again in the next hundred years or so.

He almost doesn’t want to go outside when the promised day is there, but Regris drags him outside to experience their first Arrival together.

Where usually the dark blue of the night comes up, he is now met by a bright pink filling the sky for as far as he can see. Above his head, a bright light shines, almost standing still, but ever so slowly falling down towards the edge of the forest.

Marmora’s Arrival.

No… Oriande’s descend.

As the Marmora celebrate around him, he takes a step back.

“Shiro.” He breathes, before turning around and running back into the forest, ignoring the calling of his name by his tribe.  


	11. Chapter 11

The trees guide him like he’s never left. The ground cracks underneath his feet, collapsing when his weight disappears. The forest is falling apart on itself, it had always done so. He sees the pillars of the sacred parts in a blind haze. He can only run, knowing that by the time he’s by the temple, it may already be too late. He shouldn’t have left Shiro behind, he should have realized something was wrong. Even if he doesn’t know _what_ , being blind to Shiro’s problems feels wrong. The entire situation is wrong and he’ll be the one to make it right.

His feet are cold and wet in the river, sogging as he keeps running. He listens only to the forest to guide him, like it did before. The silence is almost welcoming, knowing that he’s still in the same place as before.

He doesn’t recognize the trees, but he knows he doesn’t have to. As long as he keeps walking, as long as he feels where his heart is guiding him, he’ll find the place he’s looking for. Removing the branches out of his face to show the sight of the temple never stops to amazing him. Except this time, he almost trips in his rushed sprint up the stairs.

The temple hasn’t changed a bit, the lion still waits for him in front of the building. Keith lets his fingers trail across her nose before stepping into the hallway. It’s abandoned, not a trace of life left. The only thing telling Keith that his time inside the forest was real are the stag and nunvil laying next to the altar. Shiro was right. Time doesn’t exist within the temple. Both look like he’s never left for a few months. 

Keith shudders under a feeling of uneasiness as he approaches the dead stag again. Its blank eyes only judge him as he takes out his knife. The metal cuts through the meat and muscle of the animal’s hind leg. It’s a single piece of meat, though large in his hands. 

He doesn’t have the fire the lion wants from him, but he has spare wood from the nights he spent outside with Shiro. It takes a moment for the wood to start burning, seeing he only has a knife to get the fire started. But a certain energy wants there to be a fire and so, the flames come alive under his hands.

“Please,” his voice trembles as he hold the deer’s hind leg out to the fire, “I know I’m not worthy of you, but I need to see him.” If it wasn’t for his own eyesight, he wouldn’t know if the meat was still laying in his hands. Not even the fire brings back a feeling, he doesn’t realize it’s licking at his hands before his reflexes finally tell him to just drop the deer on the altar.

The flames aren’t eternal, the offerings no longer blessed under the first prayer, but it’s all he has. The lack of time already creeps up to him. 

“You called for me in my dreams. Just tell me what to do.” He asks the burning flames. 

They answer with silence at first, only burning the woods in silence. Then, there’s a light. A bright spot in the corner of his eye, near the wall.  It pulsates with his own breathing, before slowly finding its own rhythm. 

Keith forgets about watching the fire when the light calls to him like this. With every pulse, the object gets closer to finding its true form. It shrinks, grows limbs and then loses all the shining light. In the end, there is only a man, sitting against the wall, curled up on himself as the last bits of white leave him. The only thing that remains white are the front locks of his hair, falling over his face.

“Shiro!” Keith exclaims as crouches down next the man, who doesn’t even seem to notice he’s there. His skin is grey and cold, eyes unfocused and empty. “What happened to you?” 

He places a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, trying to drag him back into reality. It is then that he notices the worst of it. Shiro’s left arm is black all the way to his shoulder. It pokes through the bandages, staining his skin. Not just his arm, Keith realizes, his legs as well, at least up to his knees. Shiro isn’t watching him when one of his hands leaves the man’s shoulder, to touch the black skin. Unlike Shiro’s own skin, the black is burning hot and doesn’t feel like human skin at all. It’s rough and oily, animal like. By the way it ends up in clawed fingers Keith hadn’t noticed before, he realizes he’s never had an idea of what Shiro was dealing with. 

Shiro groans softly, head lolling before a small light returns to his eyes. “Keith?” His voice is hoarse, broken. “Those lions really like to turn their punishments up.” He sighs and closes his eyes again. 

Keith frowns. “No one is punishing you, Shiro. I’m here to help you.”

“Come on, Red. I know I hurt you, but you can at least just growl in my face and not make it seem like you actually care.” 

“Shiro, what are you talking about?” 

“Keith.” He blinks, finally letting the light back in his eyes, “Wait… you’re actually here.”

“Welcome back.”

“Good to be back.” Shiro groans, “At least I think so. For as long as this is.” 

“I can get you out of here. My village is maybe a day walk, we can take care of whatever is going on there. Ulaz knows medicine, he can help you.” 

“Can’t,” Shiro takes a deep breath, “I can’t leave here. I’m stuck Keith, you should just go back by yourself before this becomes worse.” 

“Okay, you’re delirious, I get it.” Keith sighs. He stands up and pries a hand under Shiro’s shoulder in an attempt to lift him up.  

“No Keith, you should know the truth.” Shiro hits Keith’s hand away.  His hand then reaches down to his legs. Underneath his palm, a blue light comes up, solidifying under his touch. A set of shackles, around his ankles and also appearing around his wrist. “I’m bound to this place, I can’t leave.”

“Maybe you can ask the lion goddess. She could break whatever curse is binding you here.”

“Keith,” Shiro almost growls, “the black lion is the one that cursed me in the first place. This is the punishment I deserve.”

“I don’t understand. You never did anything wrong. The lion knows that as well, you will be fine.”

“I told you the lions are dead, I killed them. Every single one of them.” 

“They’re gods, Shiro.” Keith tries. “You can’t kill them.”

“Yet here we are, in a godless forest.” Shiro tries to laugh, but every breath only turns into coughs. 

“What did you do, Shiro?” Keith frowns as the reality of the situation enters his mind, “Maybe we can fix this.”

“Remember when I told you about my village?” Shiro asks, and Keith nods in agreement. “When those travelers came, we finally decided to travel up stream and see what was out there. Those two had told us about the miracles going on here, we wanted to see if they could help a simple village like ours. In the end it was me, a friend and his father that went on the first ship. Called her  _ Kerberos  _ and she would be the ship of discoveries _. _ I guess you could say we did discover things. The sight of this forest was breathtaking, but we got captured before we could enter it.”

Keith feels his breath halt in his throat. “You sailed into Daibazaal.” The name of the tribe barely leaves his lips. A tribe he never met, never heard of before his trial and now knew as a horror living at the other side of the woods. 

Shiro nods, “We told them we didn’t know anything, but they wouldn’t listen. In the end, I was given an offer to save my friends. Go in the forest and free it from the evil spirits defiling it.” He lowers his head, the next words only coming out as sobs, “I didn’t realize it until it was too late. He only told me to take out Black, but she wouldn’t show up until I got to the others.” He looks at Keith with tears in his eyes, “The lions never came to see you because they’re no longer here.”

“What happened to the Black Lion?” Keith asks, afraid of the answer. His hand tightens around Shiro’s shoulder as the man shudders.

“She was beautiful, fought with so much power I was sure I was going to die. She took the arm, and I took her. I didn’t realize what I had done until I heard her voice in my head. I accepted my punishment and gave her my body.” Shiro lifts his arm again and looks at the black color in the pink light of Oriande. “But I guess a human body isn’t meant to hold something as powerful as a goddess.”

Keith doesn’t think when he takes Shiro’s hand and pulls it against his cheek. It’s hot, inhuman, but it’s Shiro’s. 

“The gods are still alive because of you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“It’s a bit too late for that now.” Shiro laughs, an action Keith can feel is still painful for him, “I couldn’t keep this up for more than a few years, I’m weak.”

“Shiro,” Keith breathes, squeezing Shiro’s hand softly, “you kept this forest together for almost a hundred years. You’re stronger than anyone I know.”

He can feel the strength in Shiro’s hand disappear, “A hundred years?” 

Keith nods. “You told me about Oriande’s descend, didn’t you. My people know it as Marmora’s Arrival, a comet coming by around every ninety years. We never could have seen the same descend.”

“That means,” the arm goes fully limp and for a moment Keith can see Shiro fading again, “everyone I knew is gone.”

“I’m sorry, Shiro. You protected everyone all this time. You no longer have to carry this burden on your own.” 

“I didn’t protect anyone. Matt and Sam, they probably died because I couldn’t return to them.”

“They might have been rescued or escaped and you gave them the time for that.” Keith tries to assure him. “You let my people, and everyone else that lives of this forest, continue their lives for such a long time. Let it be my turn to do that now.”

“You’d throw your life away.”

“Seeing that I can’t get blessed, there is no life for me out there either.”

“Keith, there is no turning back from this. At least make sure your family knows what you’re doing.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Keith says again, his tone serious. 

“Keith…” Shiro starts in an attempt to reason.

“And neither are you.” Keith adds. “I love you, Shiro. I don’t want to see you suffer when you don’t have to. You aren’t the only lion protecting the forest. My place is right here, just like yours.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Before I came here the Marmora were plagued with large animal death. I asked Ulaz about it when I came back. The deaths stopped when I left and returned when I came back. You can’t keep the forest alive on your own, but together, we can keep it going.”

Shiro blinks slowly. “I don’t understand.”

Keith smiles softly. “Do you know of a woman named Krolia?” He asks, despite knowing that it may not be the best time with Shiro dying right in front of him. Not dying, he corrects himself, just weakened.

“Kogane’s wife.” Shiro nods. 

“She’s my mother.” Keith explains. “The knife I own was hers. She left me with the Marmora to protect me.”

“Of course.” Shiro tries to let out a laugh, “You’re Kogane’s disappearing baby. All that hard work Krolia did to keep you safe and look where you ended up.”

“I was never in any danger.” Keith assures him. “The Marmora raised me well and I know you would never let anything happen to me. She must have left me in the forest when you were fighting the lions. I think-” Keith looks back to the rest of the room, eyeing one of the statues in the corner, “I think Red took refuge in me when you came for her. I’ve seen her in my dreams, sometimes together with Black. You called me Red earlier, didn’t you? I don’t think you ever killed her.”

“I thought there was something off with you the moment you stepped inside the temple. It may have been her essence calling out to me.” Shiro nods. “I tried to get you away from here, but you still came back. You’re stubborn like Red. I guess you got that from her.”

“Who knows.” Keith laughs, but the smile on his face is soon replaced by concern again. “Just let me fix this for you. Bring me to Red and everything will be fine.”

“I’m not bringing you to Red.”

“Shiro-” Keith tries to protest, but Shiro shakes his head.

“I’m not bringing you to Red before you go back to your people and tell them what you’re doing. They’re your family. I don’t want them to think you died out here.”

Just like Shiro’s own village had been thinking for a hundred years now, Keith understood.

“I’m not leaving you alone. What if you disappear again?” He said, knowing that it wouldn’t matter anyways.

“Don’t worry, it seems Black will give me enough power until you return.”

“It shouldn’t have been more than a day since I last came here for you and look where that brought you.”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“I don’t want to risk it.” Keith says. Shiro already disappeared before, without him ever knowing. One more time, with the actual knowledge of what the consequences are, is a risk Keith doesn’t want to take. “If I bring you to the comet, would that give you enough energy to stay a little longer?”

Shiro doesn’t give him an answer if the comet can help. He just smiles and lifts an arm to have Keith lift him up. Shiro’s light, despite putting his full weight on Keith to carry. The steps down towards the comet are tricky, but Keith does everything he can to make sure Shiro doesn’t fall down. Even if he would, Keith would be there to lay underneath him, taking the damage instead. 

The energy from the carving is dull, fading in the same pace as Shiro. He sets Shiro down underneath the arrival of the lions, the image lighting up the moment the two make contact. 

“Go back to the Marmora.” Shiro whispers through a strained breath. “I’ll be waiting here when you return.” 

And Keith believes him. After all, there’s nothing more to do. He leaves, despite his inner promise to never go again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this chapter has art :D  
> Please check it out on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/BashnynArt/status/1034440354391642112) as well

Returning to the Marmora always feels strange. Though where usually it’s a relief coming over him, he now takes every step outside the forest in hesitance. Somehow he makes it back to the village without seeing anyone. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Above Oriande’s soft pink glow, night has started to set in.  The small town seems peaceful, small fires light the sides of several tents as the tribe is preparing to settle for the night.

Ulaz is the first one to notice him.  He’s talking with Thace around one of the fires. He looks up at the first sound of Keith’s dragging footsteps through the grass. He’s always been someone to pick up on the smaller sounds, better than most hunters of the tribe.

“Keith.” Ulaz says as he walks to the boy and throws a protecting arm around him, guiding him to sit by the fire. “Where have you been. You suddenly ran off last night.”

Last night. It’s only been one night to the both of them. That’s good, Keith thinks to himself.  Somehow time has started flowing normally, making the hours he’s away from Shiro actual hours, not years. Though he’s aware it would work the other way, his hours would be mere seconds to Shiro, now he’s left suffering longer on his own. The time regulations flow through his head in a haze, and he doesn’t notice he’s zoning out until Thace places a hand on his arm.

“Keith?” He asks, concerned.”Are you okay?”

Keith nods slowly. “Yeah.” He breathes. He takes the moment to look around. The rest of the Marmora have gathered around him. Thace and Ulaz are at his side, trying to ground him and check for potential injuries. Kolivan with Antok right next to him are standing in front of him but don’t say anything. Instead, they wait for Keith to find the words he wants to say.

“I’m leaving.” Keith says. “I can’t stay here.”

“What are you talking about?” Ulaz asks.

“The gods are dead.” Keith tells them. Saying the words himself feels wrong, as if only now their disappearance is a fact. “Not all but-” But they’re no longer lions, they’re no longer immortal, incapable of sustaining life anymore. He shakes his head. “I need to go back there, I can save the forest.”

He’s pretty sure he’s rambling, because Ulaz is hovering over him again. He hits the concerned hands away. “I’ve been talking to the black lion, or what’s left of her. She gave her power to a human. I want to help him. I know I can help him. So I’m saying goodbye to you.”

“It’s the red lion, isn’t it?” Kolivan decides to speak.

Keith nods. “How did you know?”

“When I found you as a child, there was a shadow of a lion hovering around you. It disappeared when I came closer, but that energy was without doubt the red lion’s.”

“We made a plan to have me fuse with the lion. I won’t be able to come back after that.”

“Who is this ‘we’?” Thace leans closer.

“Shiro, he-” Keith falls silent for a second, his thoughts trying to figure out the best way to explain, “he’s the one who took in the black lion’s spirit. He helped me out during the trials and I want to do whatever I can to make sure he doesn’t have to die.”

“You’re doing it for him.” Thace smiles. Keith does, he realizes.

“He’s important to me.”

“Does he make you happy? You could be out there for a long time.” Ulaz asks.

Keith nods again. It’s an eternity out there, but eternity almost sounds short when he can use it to get to know every piece of Shiro. “I know he cares about me the way I care about him. He’s tried to protect me for so long, I want to be the one who protects him now.”

“We’ll miss you.” Antok sighs.

“You can always visit. I’m sure Shiro wouldn’t mind if you come to the temple sometime. Plus,” Keith smiles, “someone will have to keep my updated if Regris is missing me already.”

They smile at him and Keith knows it’s the biggest comfort the group can give him. The Marmora aren’t affectionate, but still, they’re family. They talk all night, bringing back memories of his own life, his mother, the lions and all the history they think Keith is going to need inside the forest. When the sun rises, Thace, Ulaz, Kolivan and Antok walk him to the edge of the holy center. He takes the step inside with hesitation, leaving his old life behind for the one he’s always dreamed about. He walks until he can’t feel the Marmora looking at him anymore. After that, he runs.

 

**...**

Shiro didn’t lie to him. When Keith steps back into the temple again, Shiro is still there. He’s still fading in and out of existence, but he’s there, _alive_.

“Hey.” Keith says as he crouches down in front of him.

“Hey.” Shiro groans. “Were you able to say goodbye?”

Keith nods. He doesn’t feel the need to bring in any more details. “We should go. Can you walk?”

Slowly Shiro tries to push himself of the floor. It goes with difficulty, having only one arm and two legs that don’t want to work with him. Keith is by his side to help him up and before Shiro can fall over again, he wraps his arm around his shoulder as a support.

“Just hang in there.” He tells him as they take the first step. “You only have to tell me where to go. After that everything will be fine.”

 

**…**

The walk is long, painful and exhausting. Shiro can’t stand on his own and he’s heavier than Keith wants to admit. The ground still gives out under them, though Shiro’s presence seems to keep the plants hold out a little bit longer.

Stepping into Red’s domain is different than any other of his trials. One by one the trees grow black. The further they walk, the more trees break down. All until there’s nothing but burned trees around them. For the first time, Keith can actually see through the forest, though it’s not the way he had wanted it to be.

Shiro still leans on his shoulders, but with every step they take, Keith can feel the man depending less and less on Keith’s power.

It isn’t just the change of scenery that makes this part of the forest different. It’s the energy calling out to him. He has to continue walking, follow the silent voice that needs him. It’s unlike the day he walked to the temple. This one is begging him to search and he finds her.

The statue stands in a layer of white ash. Her expression is angry, radiating fire just by looking at it. He can hear her in his mind, roaring at him like she used to in his dreams. She invites him to come to her and Keith gets so drawn in by her that he almost forgets about Shiro.

“Go.” Shiro says, knowing what Keith’s going through as he slowly lets go of Keith’s shoulder. He takes a few steps back and sits back against one of the burned tree stumps. “Connect with her. She’s been waiting for a long time, she must be impatient by now.”

Keith nods and takes another step to the statue. Its eyes seem to follow him, command him. He stretches his hand out to its stone paw, laying it on top of it as he closes his eyes. “Come on.” He whispers, “Let’s bond.”

The lion doesn’t wait longer than it has to. There’s a heat surrounding Keith’s hand, but he doesn’t let go of the stone. Instead, he opens his eyes to a sea of red. Flames spread across the statue, reaching down to him. The flames are welcoming and Keith lets them in. With the first flames touching him, the fire changes. The fire takes a different shape. There’s a paw, bright fur and finally bright yellow eyes in a red head. He’s face to face with a lion. The red lion.

Through the red fur, small patches of white shine through. Here and there are a few spots of black. Her roars echo through his head and he’s unsure if she’s actually making the sound or only projecting it into his mind. She pulls him in, takes him over as she towers over him. She comforts him, even if he already knows that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Shiro wouldn’t let anything happen to him, the lions never tried to hurt him before.

So he lets Red in. He allows her to move through his body, settle in his bones and mind. Her fire mixes with the one already burning inside him and makes it burn brighter. He’s burning, he feels it scorch the last parts of his humanity.

He can’t look away, his eyes too focused on the burning flames and the yellow eyes calling out to him. They connect with his soul, letting him watch through _her_ eyes as he sees himself from her point of view. The red glow covering him, the yellow reflection in his own sclera.

It’s one last roar that takes the last bit of his mortality. The heat becomes too much to bear before it suddenly stops. He’s seeing through his own eyes again, face to face with the lifeless statue. He doesn’t feel Red around him anymore. Instead, the purring is deep inside his mind, calming him.

He lets the last of the flames run across his skin, clenching his hands as the energy disappears.

“You were right,” Keith whispers as the heat of the lion finally becomes one with his own, “the lions _are_ beautiful.”

“Yes you are.” Shiro smiles. “How are you feeling?”

“Complete.” Keith says as he stares at his hands. The warmth still runs through his fingers. “Like I’m finally myself.” He looks up to Shiro. “What about you?”

“Exhausted.” Shiro admits and for a moment Keith feels his mood drop. Shiro smile however tells him he worries for nothing. “But I haven’t felt this alive in ages. It worked, Keith. Thank you”

It worked. Shiro’s exhaustion is obvious, but exhaustion is also the only thing Keith can see. He doesn’t look like he’s dying, fading out of existence with every passing second. He’s here. Actually here for Keith to hold, to live with.

“I’m so glad.” Keith says as he walks over to the tree Shiro’s still slumped against.

“All because you agreed on spending eternity with me.”

“You almost make that sound like it’s a bad thing.”

“Together with you?” Shiro raises a brow, “It’s the best thing in the world.”

“And the only blessing I’ll ever need in my life.” Keith says. He sits down next to Shiro and places himself underneath his arm. Shiro pulls him closer, pulling him against his chest in a strong hold.

“Good. I still want a sacrifice though.” Shiro whispers as he moves closer to Keith. He doesn’t need to say more. Keith pulls himself up from Shiro’s hold and locks his lips with Shiro’s. He lets himself explore the man’s body, a body he can claim for himself eventually.

“I wonder,” Keith says as he finally breaks the contact with Shiro’s lips, “do you wonder if we could have still if we both stayed in Terra?”

Shiro grunts as he pulls Keith close again. “We definitely would have met, but don’t make me think about anything after that.” He says before he lets out a soft laugh. “I swear your mom would have made me your babysitter or something.”

“Guess I should be glad you ended up getting cursed then.” Keith smiles as he steals himself another kiss.  He wants to spend the rest of the night like that, locked with Shiro until the world falls apart. But he’s exhausted and they still have eternity together.

“I don't think I'm going to make it back to the temple tonight.” Keith yawns as he settles back at Shiro's side again, curling up under his arm.

“Me neither.” the man says as pulls Keith closer.

That night, they rest against the burned trees together. For the first time, Keith's dreams not of lions and fire but of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end. Thank you very much for reading and I'll probably be back with more for this AU eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Ahhuya) or [Tumblr](https://aulra.tumblr.com/)


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